According to experts, 2021 was a devastating year for cybersecurity, mainly because businesses accelerated digital adoption and people played out their lives online. Threat actors savagely target everything from critical health infrastructure to small and medium-sized businesses. According to Check Point Research (CPR), 2021 was a 50 percent increase in overall attacks per week on corporate networks compared to 2020.

There are some statistics to pay attention to:

• It may sound strange but Covid-19 also had an impact on raising cybercrimes – since Covid-19, the FBI reported a 300% increase in reported cybercrimes.
• CPR admitted in their findings, that education and research was the sector that starting from 2020 experienced a 75% increase in cyberattacks, which resulted in 1,605 attacks per organization weekly – that is the highest number of attacks!
• The government and the military sector had 1,136 attacks per week.
• The communications industry had 1,079 attacks weekly per organization.
• Africa experienced the highest rate of attacks in 2021. Since 2020, there was an increase of 13% in cyberattacks, which is an average of 1,582 attacks per organization weekly.
• IBM’s report on cybercrimes is very important because 95% of cybersecurity breaches are due to human error.
• The healthcare sector is the most expensive for data breaches. In 2020 alone, the healthcare industry lost around $7.18 million.
• Ransomware attacks are so frequent that it’s estimated that a business fall victim to one every 11 seconds.
• Google detected over 2 million phishing websites in 2020.
• It takes an average of 280 days to discover and avert a cybersecurity breach.
• Edges can report the most common types of cyberattack across all networks is Crypto weaknesses (39.7%), followed by Cross-site scripting (12%), and System patching related (8%).

In the year ahead the threat landscape is going to evolve and expand. Cyber security specialists expect that ransomware gangs will continue putting lives at risk, and much more. So, we have to be very careful in 2022 as well. Here are key cybersecurity trends organizations need to be prepared for in 2022.

Types of Cybercrimes:

Cybercrime is a criminal activity that targets people or businesses. Most cybercrimes are committed by organized cyber groups, cybercriminals, or hackers who want to make money. There are two main categories of cybercrimes: a criminal activity that targets and criminal activity that uses computers to commit other crimes. Here are the different types of cybercrime according to Kaspersky USA:

• E-mail and internet fraud.
• Identity fraud – stolen personal information, including credit card fraud, bank or loan frauds, government benefits.
• Financial frauds, including payments.
• Corporate data thefts.
• Cyberextortion – demanding money to prevent a threatened attack)
• Ransomware attacks.
• Malware infection – Malware usually infiltrates companies through email spam. If an employee accidentally clicks on the link, then malware is automatically downloaded onto that employees’ computer and navigates your company network.
• Cryptojacking – when hackers mine cryptocurrency using other people’s or companies’ resources.
• Cyberespionage – Stealing information from a company or government to steal their sensitive data or intellectual property to gain an advantage over a competitor.

The similarities are likely to be continued targeting of the supply chain and ransomware still prevalent, with cyber an enabler for the conventional crime. It is likely, however, that operational technology (for example, in the critical national infrastructure) and the internet of things (IoT) will be more of a target as the software they run on is often old and unpatched. In 2022, it’s predicted that Cybercriminals will continue to attack businesses with various cybercrime. As Anne Neuberger, the Deputy National Security Advisor, Cyber & Emerging Tech at National Security Council, warns us there is no company safe from being targeted by ransomware, regardless of the size of the company or the location where they operate.

This letter was sent earlier this year after an attack on the Colonial Pipeline, JBS, and other organizations.

The organizations that are the most vulnerable to be attacked are those which fell behind on patching and updating on-prem networks while focusing on accommodating remote workers and the prevalence of “Ransomware as a Service” will make it easier for unpracticed individuals to commit this type of cybercrime.

Far Out Solutions have operated since 2003 and we make your business easier with a reliable IT infrastructure. Far Out Solutions is an award-winning company that can help you to protect your home office or your business from various cybercrimes.

Cloud computing has enabled workforces to access vital resources from anywhere. With the rise of cloud computing and companies working fully remotely, there was a high rise in cloud attacks.

However, belief in cloud services comes with additional IT security challenges, such as misconfigurations and access management issues, according to the NCSA.

Subsequently, as companies continue to ramp up cloud adoption in 2022, cloud security posture management will become a top priority for security leaders.

The importance of security awareness

If your employees fulfill their professional obligations off-site, you should update your training program to include guidance for remote workers.

Cybercriminals will continue to use social engineering tactics to infiltrate corporate networks in 2020, as Isaca’s article “Assessing the State of Cybersecurity in 2021 and Preparing for 2022” says, businesses will invest in ongoing employee security awareness training programs so that they can stop staff members from falling for phishing messages and other scams.

However, in the coming years, businesses are expected to consolidate and look for suppliers that can serve as one-stop shops for multiple cloud-delivered security products. According to Gartner’s article, 30% of enterprises will obtain cloud-delivered secure web gateway by 2024.

How can I keep myself safe from cyberattacks in 2022?

Think you’re not worth being the target of online predators? then think again! They don’t want you to be safe and count on you to think that you’re not a target.

How can we reduce the chances of falling for the scams?

Here are the 4 basic things you can do to avoid cyber threats:

1. Hire Far Out Solutions, an experienced team that knows how to protect you so you no longer need to worry about cyber threats.
2. Implement multi-factor authentication that makes you 99% less likely to get hacked.
3. Update your software or turn on automatic updates.
4. Think before you click, because more than 90% of successful cyber-attacks start with a phishing email.
5. Use strong passwords.

So, while there will be a continuous increase in reliance on digital and data, we need to be careful, take into consideration what cybersecurity specialists are saying to protect our systems and processes. If we do so, we can think about new ways to improve our business, we can seize the opportunities offered by new technologies to grow safely in the digital world.

What is cloud computing?  

We use cloud computing all the time. You have access to Google Workplace, you constantly buy online books, audibles. You use cloud working environments such as Microsoft Teams, Trello, ClickUp, and many more. All of these have one thing in common – Cloud. 

Cloud computing is the idea that you can access software programs from anywhere using the internet. It’s a computing infrastructure that is focused to help every business to be more flexible. 

Cloud computing has already got popular, especially during the pandemic situation, but there’s still space to improve. There’s a lot of predictions that cloud computing will get more and more popular, so that, it’ll become an essential part of every business. 2021 will be a crucial year for technologies and businesses, the earlier you adapt to changes faster your business will develop.

Demand on cloud computing 

The reason behind why cloud computing is getting more and more popular is that we’ve seen huge shifts in the working environment, businesses are adapting to a new era. We all are beginning to master working digitally, there’re already dozens of applications, like Teams, Trello, Zoom, Slack, that help you implement a cloud-based working environment.

With the implementation of the new cloud-based system, businesses found it very comfortable to work with. There’re many studies that speak volumes of cloud-based businesses. We can give you some main advantages: 

• Cost-efficiency – Cloud-based systems enable businesses to have minimal expenditures;
• Access from anywhere – You just need internet;
• Software expense – You no longer need to spend money on buying expensive software, buy a license for them, and taking care of it every time;
• Data centralization – Everything is on the cloud!;
• Data recovery & Backup – Automatic data backup means the world, and you can understand it if you even once encountered a hard drive crash in your company;
• Security – You don’t need to think about securing your servers, cloud vendors do it for you;
• Sharing and free storage – You can share;

With these benefits, there are big, big opportunities for businesses in 2021. You just need to keep moving forward.  

Cloud computing jobs 

Organizations rethink their strategies and models for 2021. They’re hiring more professionals who will be able to help them leverage the cloud to meet their goals. There are some tendencies shaped: in the tech world, there is an all-time low employment rate while there’s a high demand on experienced employees.  

This said, experts say that half of the companies worldwide will become cloud-dependent by 2021. Gaining cloud computing skills will soon become the coolest asset of skills for employees. Here are some top paid cloud-related jobs you might want to learn: 

• Network and cloud architect 

• Cloud network engineer 

• Computer systems analyst 

• Cloud security analyst 

• Cloud database administrator

   

Take your business to the cloud. Get started today! 

Today is the best period you can start migrating to the cloud, upskilling yourself and your coworkers. There are two options you can start this process of implementing cloud computing in your business:

• Do it yourself
• Get MSP Support

If you choose the first option you need to learn few things, like which is the best domain, how to create a domain, how to use the app correctly, how to connect all apps together, how to interact with your coworkers, how to get licenses for products, and many more. This path is a little hard but doesn’t worry, there’s also a happier side with the second option.  

You can relax and enjoy your time while Managed Service Provider (MSP) company will solve every task for you. Far out solutions are perfect examples of an experienced, talented, and trustworthy partner that will help your business to harness. Far out solutions have got reliable solutions that help small and medium-sized businesses, as well as, large commercial enterprises, with a full suite of IT services designed to help your business achieve its goals.  

2021 will be a crucial year for employees and employers because last year’s situation has forced a transition to a remote workforce much quicker. This shift will impact organizations in many ways starting from security to everyday operations and IT infrastructure.

Information Technology (IT) infrastructure are several components required to operate and manage IT environments – it can fit on a cloud system, or within an organization’s own facilities.

3 main IT infrastructure components:

• Hardware
• Software
• Networking

These facilities are used to create, deliver, test, watch, control, and support IT services. We will break down exactly what those three components do to make it easier to understand the system as a whole.

Hardware

Hardware includes network servers, data centers, routers, network switches and etc.

• Network servers come in different formats and every one of them serves unique purposes. We may refer network server as another computer that is used for data storage. A location where all the central files are stored is called a file server. The directory server can be accessed by several different computers and is a central database of information. Web server tries to share files through a web browser via HTTP. There is another type of server that includes print servers, databases, and application servers.
• Network switches connect devices on the same network using LAN. They allow two internal devices to connect without forwarding traffic to every network device. It contains several ports that physically connect devices on a network together. Physical parts include other switches, routers, and servers.
• The router’s job is to communicate between the internet and the devices that connect to the internet. More simply it routes traffic between the devices and the internet.
• Data centers or server rooms are the command center of your network. It’s where all your servers are located. In other words, that’s the place where your company’s information is located.

Software

The software includes all applications used by the business: web servers, content management systems, operating systems. Without those applications’ hardware can’t perform its infrastructure function.

1. The web server includes several parts that control how users access hosted files. It can be an HTTP server which is software that understands Web addresses (URLs) and protocols that your browser uses to view webpages (HTTP).
2. A content management system (CMS) is computer software used to manage the creation and modification of digital content.
3. An operating system (OS) is software that supports a computer’s basic functions. The most popular operating systems are Mac, Windows, Linux, and etc.

Networking

The networking component gives you the ability to communicate between internal and external systems. Networking infrastructure consists of two parts: networking hardware and networking software. Networking hardware includes routers, switches, LAN cards, wireless routers, cables while networking software includes network operations and management, operating systems, firewalls, and network security applications.

Above we’ve discussed 3 types of IT infrastructure components that can be found in every company. There are 2 ways of implementing it:

• Traditional infrastructure – This kind of infrastructure in a company means that all components are managed and owned by the business within its own facilities
• Cloud infrastructure – You can create a private cloud or you can use a public cloud from a provider like Google, Microsoft, and etc.
• Hyper-converged infrastructure – HCI is a software-defined IT infrastructure that virtualizes all of the elements of conventional hardware-defined systems. It allows you to manage your compute, network, and data storage resources from a single interface.

There are several tips to improve your IT infrastructure. To get the bigger picture you’ll need to examine your IT infrastructure for weak spots – after that, you can seek solutions. The best option would be to get advice from professionals, like Far Out Solution. They have vast experience in their field and create packages that are focused on addressing exactly what you’re looking for! You can contact them anytime and get full information on how to improve your IT infrastructure.

2020 has been a difficult year for both humans and businesses. The main reason is that many things have changed that need adaptation. We’ve seen huge shifts in a working environment – a lot of offices are locked and people are starting to adapt to working from home.

We are all beginning to master working digitally and seek support from various apps such as Teams, Slack, Zoom, etc.

In 2021 it’s important to prepare ourselves and our businesses for a new era of technology.

It’s important to take some time and look from a different angle – the COVID19 pandemic has fastened cloud-based data implementation for every business and therefore raised the demand for a remote workforce. A lot of businesses start to find solutions to have a fruitful 2021. Companies tend to increase technology budgets and invest in third-party managed services. MSP now is needed more than ever.

What is a Managed IT Service?

Managed IT services include every kind of technological service and support handled by an outside company through a cloud-based platform. Those information technological solutions provide 24 hours of monitoring, support, and on-time troubleshooting.

For instance, managed IT service may include: remote monitoring; management of your network; managing live video conferences; server maintenance; cloud-based storage, and taking cybersecurity measures.

What can MSP do for modern businesses?

You would have already noticed that the vast majority of businesses are moving to the cloud. There are some reliable service providers, such as Microsoft – Office 365 and Google – G Suite – both of them are on the cloud.

There was a time when managing services was harder because there was only one way to deal with technical issues and find solutions for an everyday task in the office. During that time, if a server had a malfunction the only solution was to call a professional, explain the problem and find solutions afterward.

In the 21st century, people try to save time and be more productive so that waiting for problems to arise and solve them afterward by yourself isn’t an effective option. Dependency on technology, automated systems, and digital databases has increased so companies tend to seek reliable solutions for their business. If a network goes down or an e-mail server is out of function, you’ll encounter a loss in productivity and revenue which could be disastrous.

Due to the higher risks, there’s a need for security and managed IT support to prevent failures and develop your company.

When there’s a need for technical support there are two options:   

Physically – Calling a technician to your location for diagnosing and fixing the problem afterward, charging an hourly rate.

Managed IT Services – which gives you all-around monitoring and consistent relationship between you and service provider, charging you a monthly service fee.

Physically service solutions might not sound good considering that the harder is the issue the more money your company has to pay; you can’t trust technician because they get paid every time you call them which means they would love to be called more often; the hourly rate may mean prolonged repair time.

Why managed IT support is good for small companies?

Operational efficiency plays a major part in every company, but not all businesses are equally equipped to maintain this efficiency. Small businesses have limited IT resources because they can’t invest a lot of money in which means they can be lagged easily in the latest IT trends, updates, network management, cybersecurity.

For many small companies’ ideal solution is managed IT support which is offered by Far Out Solutions.

The future is now!

The earlier you adapt to new technologies more competitive your business will be. With early adoption comes the need to learn and acquire all essential skills quickly.  You’ll need a lot of time to develop all the necessary skills or money to train or hire staff. The easier and most reliable solution is to use a managed IT provider.

If you’re still unsure whether managed IT solutions are right for your business you can contact the Far Out Solutions team, which offers the best support service for a good value.

Your network is an easily overlooked aspect of almost all businesses. Who can blame them? It is not something that even people check at their own homes. However, it is a crucial part of every business and one that you cannot afford to lose. Not for a single moment. Imagine you are riding a bullet train at speeds that can literally peel your face off, and one of the rails that the train is running on suddenly collapsed or better yet went missing. In this scenario what do you think about the outcome? It’s a disaster waiting to happen, to prevent that you have to get an expert to take care of the rails and every aspect of the train to ensure a smooth and safe ride. Much like the train, your network should always be in tip-top shape. That is when a Network Assessment is an absolute must.

Why is a Network Assessment Necessary?

That is almost the same question as to why do humans need to breathe. Your network can be considered the veins that run through the entire business. From your printers, lobby display, and every single computer is connected to the network, that much is pretty obvious to most people. However, the maintenance aspect of it is not very common knowledge. Now imagine the server to be the brain, the hubs, and network switches to be the heart and the network cables to be the veins.

Now just like doctors that would diagnose a sick person, in a business scenario, it would take a whole team to ensure that everything is running smoothly. IT engineers, field technicians, network analysts, and IT Help Desks work hand in hand to isolate a single issue in your network. It takes a whole team of professionals to get things done. This is simply because each task has to be handled by a different expert in that field. Again much like doctors that have specialties like Cardiologists, Neurologists, and Podiatrists, your network has so many experts as well to keep everything running and continuously, then monitoring it to prevent or even prepare for future updates and upgrades when needed. These are just the tip of the iceberg, getting into details can take a whole year to probably explain.

Far Our Solutions leading experts in the field of Network Assessment have been trusted and been by fortune 500 companies across the country. Celebrities and Politicians alike have trusted us to this day. Our comprehensive package includes:

● Technology Management: planning, support, and documentation
● Network Topology: design, cable plant, and Internet connectivity
● Network Security: firewall, perimeter, physical and wireless security
● Server Infrastructure: hardware, operating systems, and storage
● Network Services: directory services, administrative policies, remote access, and redundancy
● Network Applications: communication, collaboration, and financial management
● Cloud Services
● PC Fleet

Things to Consider to Have a Successful Network Assessment

● Identify and visualize your network

Easier said than done. To be able to have a mental image of how and what your network is like to see areas of improvement and better delegate tasks to your field team so that their work will not only be efficient and effective but also precise and accurate.

● Prepare the necessary tools and personnel

Once you are able to identify the issue you’d want your team to be able to resolve the issue with the right kind of equipment and the right kind of field expert for that particular issue. This will not only save you time and money to perform but also a form of prevention to a major equipment failure.

● Consider your business technical capacity

You have to be honest with yourselves in order to confirm whether or not your business has the technical capability to process it. If not you can rely on 3rd party providers that offer a comprehensive package in Network Assessment.

● Safety and Security

When considering the idea of hiring a 3rd party to take care of your network you have to do your research in order to ensure the safety of the entirety of your business.

There is no way around it, every facet of business has to evolve and improve! Even the slightest enhancements will be appreciated. The same certainly applies to the kind of printing service that we now have available in our hands. Technology has reached a point where almost everything can be offered in a bundled service that not only will save your company a lot of money, but also improve the overall efficiency, functionality, and productivity of the workforce.

Imagine being able to print hi-resolution images with full-color coverage using hi-end/top-of-the-line printers that would normally cost a fortune to invest in for your company. You might want/need to allocate that budget to more pressing financial matters in your business. Printing as a Service (PaaS) allows you to enjoy the benefits of getting a high-end printing device without actually purchasing it. This is a subscription or pay-per-use-based service that varies differently from one provider to another. The core service however does not change.

Why Printing as a Service (PaaS) Is The Future of Printing

While you enjoy your average run-of-the-mill printer that obviously does its job, or overpays for functionality that is only used occasionally, PaaS offers so much more than that of what you are used to. You no longer have to spend hours working or should we say waiting for your IT personnel to show up and resolve the issue regarding your printer. Since most devices that will be used will require minimum to no actual physical troubleshooting this will make it seamless to fix and resolve remotely. Also, some packages will include not just the printers themselves but also all of the consumables, depending on your package. That is so convenient and efficient for your business, as you no longer need to determine how much paper you will be required to procure for the next quarter.

You can get as much as you want when it comes to the device(s) that you’ll need. If you need a printer for every floor of every office space in your area you are most welcome to do so. The device functionality is determined by the needs of your business. Your budget will be your limit, remember getting PaaS will always be cheaper than acquiring those printers yourself. Small and medium businesses or even enterprise-level can benefit immensely from this type of service. Now the only questions that remain:

Is your company ready to be a part of the future?

OR

Are you going to be left behind?

Covid-19 has literally sent us to a screeching halt. The economy on the verge of collapse. Slowly and steadily we are trying to rebuild a structure in which we can function without spreading the virus further. We have to place security measures to ensure that everyone trying to enter any establishment does not have an elevated body temperature higher than 100 degrees F. We however are putting these men and women at risk as they check the body temperature with a handheld scanner. These are the individuals with the highest possibility of exposure and becoming infected. Automating this important function is where the thermal imaging camera comes into play. Using infrared to detect the heat coming from your body it can accurately determine the temperature making it safe for security personnel to just advise the person to vacate the premises via intercom.

How It Began

We’ve come a long way since Sir William Herchel, an English astronomer discovered infrared in the 1800s. After two centuries we have not fully maximized its potential, we have yet to discover the wide variety of applications in which this technology can be used. One of the most popular uses of this will be in thermal cameras. This allows the user to identify any individuals with a body temperature higher than it should be. In the efforts to reduce the chance of transmission of the virus from one person to another it is very crucial to have it in place, in areas where work and social interactions can no longer be avoided such as building entries.

Developed Throughout the Years

The first infrared scanner was developed and used by the US Military in 1947, however the way it processed the image took a while and it was very inefficient. As technology improves and the methods have been refined and now it can even scan through a live video feed. This has a wide range of applications from medicine, the military, and even home security. Now that it has been incorporated in offices, business establishments, and even government agencies it will be very beneficial in combating this invisible foe. We have a greater chance of getting ahead of this pandemic. We have to take every precaution that we can in order to put this to an end. Although breakthrough drugs and potential vaccines are being developed, we as a nation cannot afford to just stand by and watch, hoping the infection rate slowly decreases in number. Every effort to prevent the spread is another life saved.

Thermal Imaging Technology and Its Applications

The development of Smarter IR sensors put the thermal cameras on the map due to the efficiency and affordability and the way it can be marketed to the average consumer is what made it more popular. Here are a few examples of practical uses for the consumer-level thermal cameras:

• Security
• Night vision
• Building inspection
• Roof inspection
• Law enforcement
• Medical testing and diagnosis
• Automotive night vision

These are just a few examples As we develop more technology to be used with thermal imaging devices, we can explore its applications even further.

When dealing with complexity in technology, what we have to realize is that the continuous developments and improvements upon the technologies that we are currently using. Combined with our desire to adopt the latest and greatest products, and architectures, it has innocently lead us to the operational complexities we are now forced to manage.

This compulsive behavior has bombarded us with obsolete technology and desperate attempts to integrate it with the current one. Simply put, that is like trying to fit a PS/2 mouse/keyboard cable to the USB port of your computer. To all my geek friends that got that reference kudos! And for the rest, here’s a complete breakdown. There used to be a time when your mouse and keyboards were attached to your system using a cable known as a PS/2 or Personal System/2 port. It has a color designation, green to your mouse, and purple to your keyboard, this is to ensure that you will be plugging it to the designated port. When the USB port is further introduced to all systems, this type of cable is no longer used.

Why Go with Simplicity?

As with all aspects of life, simplicity offers a kind of freedom that you can only get when everything is easily accessed, integrated, organized, processed, and analyzed. Time is literally equivalent to money! Does your team spend hours manually collating information that is sitting idle in their systems or trying to figure out which technology option is more valuable or more efficient for your project?

This is a “Red Flag” confirming the fact that your complex IT architecture doesn’t allow the use of efficient programs that allow the input of information in real-time for analysis based on the script that you have developed. This concept alone will save your company a huge amount of money. The consolidation of assets and processes will give way to much more efficient and productive outcomes for all types of businesses.

Integration and Consolidation

As mentioned above, not all technology, applications, hardware, software, and other peripherals can or will be able to be a part of the integration process. There are so many factors to consider when attempting to do so.

This process however will eliminate the complexity and disorder in the company. When chaos is now organized and the once seemingly impossible task of getting things done can be processed in a few minutes then you can start consolidating. Taking everything that will no longer be needed adding all essential parts of the project and removing things that will no longer make sense to the said project. This part might seem vague and too generalized because our aim is to show you that this aspect does not only apply with technology but in the entirety of your business. You wouldn’t want to have your secretary using a typewriter then going to the post office to mail a simple reply letter, would you? Of course not, those practices are no longer used in any form of business today. If you need immediate assistance with your growing business, we at Far Out Solutions specialize in making everything in your business less complicated and more efficient to deal with by applying the most efficient and simplistic information technology.

Get in touch with us so we can start with an assessment today.

The dawn of a new era is finally here, the advancement and development of emerging technology are going to skyrocket. Hold on to your seats! Get ready to be blown away. Right now, there’ll be no excuse for your home not to have an internet connection. It has now been a commodity consumed side by side with electricity, water, and gas for your home. Now that your device such as your Smartphone, laptop, PC, and other systems can connect to your home network. What if we could take things further, say your coffee maker turns on at a specific time. Your light dims, on your preferred mood with a touch of a button. The laundry starts spinning on your way home from a busy day, then the music starts playing as you walk through your door. Sounds like a dream? Well, it is all possible today.

What You Need For Your Smart Home Setup

Aside from getting your piggy bank out of your closet, there are numerous items to start with. Even before you think about the other upgrades to the latest and the best type of automated coffee maker out there, you might want to consider your home security first. After all, with the money, you’ll spend on your upgrade, you want to be safe in the comfort of your own home. Let us discuss the specifics.

• Smart Home Hubs and Controllers
• Lighting
• Entertainment
• Room Climate Management / Energy Efficiency

Smart Home Hubs and Controllers are where you will interact with your smart home system. Most of the things that you can do with it can also be done on your phone, but the hubs and controllers are dedicated devices that works best for its purpose. Needless to say, your Smart Home setup would not have been complete without a functioning light that sets up the mood in every room in your home. It should match your entertainment system that has been placed in your room or dedicated home cinema. Then to top it all off, your room should always be at the temperature that you prefer. This will also allow you to save on electricity consumption.

Completing the Setup for Your Smart Home

Assessing your home by providing you with a thorough and in-depth rundown of every nook and cranny of your home is no easy task, as tedious and time-consuming as it may sound, Far Out Solutions leading Smart Home assessment is trusted even by celebrities to set up their Smart Home. Our team of IT and Engineers have the perfect solution for your every need.

Get in touch with us to see where we can improve or start your Smart Home today.

Microsoft made a huge announcement that after a decade they are now going to retire one of their most popular and most successful OS to date. Windows 7 will be considered obsolete starting January 14, 2020. Resources dedicated to the support and development for this OS will now be allocated to their new OS, Windows 10. A lot of people and companies are getting worried that the technical assistance or even the software updates are no longer going to be available. Microsoft is urging everyone to get Windows 10 before the said date. That is all well and good, but the reality of it is not everyone has the system to support the newest operating system that they have to offer.

The minimum hardware requirements are:

● 1GHz or faster processor
● 1Gb RAM or more for 32-bit/ 2Gb RAM or more for 64-bit
● Hard disk space of at least 16Gb for 32-bit OS / 20Gb for 64-bit OS
● The Graphics card should be DirectX 9 or later
● Display of 800×600

Even if they do, most consumers are already so used to the Windows 7 OS that it’ll be a huge leap. Although the intuitive UI (user interface) is easy to get the hang of, there is still that hanging notion of comfort that most people are used to.

What We Should Expect When the Inevitable Day Comes

First,, there’ll be no more security updates to help secure your system. No more technical assistance provided for the outdated OS. This actually means that your system will now start to be vulnerable to hackers and other cybercrime. It’s not that we are getting forced to upgrade, it’s just that at this point we do not have any other options. Sure, you can try Unbuntu or other open system OS, you have remembered these open system does not have even the slightest protection that Microsoft is offering, hence the inevitable upgrade.

The Good News or Should I Say the Silver Lining

All brand new systems that are sold today have Windows 10 already pre-installed, or at least the bundle that comes with it. There used to be a free update that sadly ended a few years ago. All application has to be reinstalled, for it to work with your new OS. Companies and computers at home are given constant reminders to update to the newest OS, again if you want to keep your system safe you really have to.

Windows 10 Basics

Users that have been stuck with the soon to be obsolete Windows 7 will be glad to know that Windows 10 has a lot in common with it.
● Start Button. It used to be shaped as a spherical icon with a 3D windows icon in it. Now it has a flat-looking windows icon that I personally prefer.
● UI (user interface) most laptops nowadays offer a touch screen feature that Windows 10 has built-in integration, meaning there will be no setup needed upon purchase, it’ll be working as it is. The theme is also going to be black with a blue windows icon that seems to be lit up from the back as the default wallpaper.
● Privacy and Security. Like its predecessor, automatic updates are already turned on by default. You may choose to change this in the settings to fit your schedule and overall lifestyle.

Windows 10 is simply the best and most powerful OS Microsoft has yet to offer. Oh! I’d like to take a quick second to thank the actual predecessor to Windows 10, the long-forgotten but absolutely needed Windows 8. There were 2 versions Windows 8 and 8.1 not much different from one another but to be completely honest it was the base form of Windows 10. Much is still to come, let’s hope for a better and faster OS to come. The services that we offer can take care of the update without actually worrying about the process. Protect yourself from risks such as ransomware, spyware, malware, phishing, and other well-known viruses. Updating your OS will surely take its toll on you. Worry no more and contact us to get you updated to Windows 10 today.