Investing in Your Future with Managed IT Services
For many small and midsized businesses (SMBs)—especially those that don’t have a long history with technology—plunking down a fixed sum each month for managed IT services seems uneconomical. Decision makers usually wait for problems to crop up and address them—what we call a “break-fix” model. This may seem like a cost-savings strategy, but statistics prove […]
The Apple “Root User” Bug: An Unwelcome Gift that Can Keep on Giving
Mac Alert The new macOS High Sierra update (from 10.13 to 10.13.1) will reintroduce a bug for which Apple has already issued an automatic fix. That means users must reboot their computers to reapply the fix. We recommend that all users of the macOS High Sierra reboot their systems upon reading this, if they haven’t […]
Can’t Be Without a Computer While We Repair It? Now, You Don’t Have To Be
When we take our vehicles in to be serviced, we sometimes get the use of a “loaner” vehicle while the car is out of commission. Why should computers be any different? At Carmichael Consulting Solutions, we understand that your Apple or Windows PC is every bit as important to you as your car, and maybe […]
Urgent Alert: Windows and Apple Support Hoaxes Present Serious Threats
Carmichael Support Tip If you receive any emails or see any dialog boxes or screen pop-ups urging you to call a support line, take the following action: Windows: Press Ctrl-Alt-Del and open the Task Manager. Under the Applications tab, click the line where your browser appears, and click End Task. If you are asked if […]
Small Business Lessons from the Equifax Hack
In September 2017, Equifax announced that its databases had been breached, and hundreds of millions of personal records had been stolen. Even worse, the hack had occurred months earlier. Experts wondered how such a major company—which controlled one of the largest repositories of personal data in the world—could have left itself so vulnerable. As the […]
Carmichael Consulting Services Voted “Best IT/Business Services” of North Atlanta Fourth Year in a Row
Carmichael Consulting has been named to the Appen Media Group, Inc., “Best IT/Business Services” for 2017 list through the media outlet’s “Best of the Best” contest. This is the fourth straight year Carmichael Consulting Services has received the most votes in the “Best IT/Business Services” segment. Appen Media Group Inc., gave readers and North Atlanta […]
Connecting StackStorm to an Azure MSSQL database
Today, I’m looking at a small part of a large project. The overall idea is to automate the busywork of my job as much as possible. This system needs a way to store data. As MPN members, we have Azure credits, and I decided to take MSSQL out for a spin. The first step is […]
Making the Most of Your Help Desk Support System
Even though Help Desk systems are designed to meet users’ support needs, that doesn’t mean users cannot contribute to successful outcomes. When they do, problems are resolved more quickly and with less downtime. Following are some ways that you can contribute to the process. Plan Ahead. It’s fairly rare for computers to break down with […]
Technology Vendor Management: What You Need to Know
Many small and midsized business (SMB) owners would never consider running their operations without a good staffing mix suited to their business needs. Most would also ensure their personnel were properly equipped to perform assigned tasks—and they would conduct periodic employee performance evaluations and reviews. Yet, business leaders often overlook the importance of applying these […]
Using Company Bandwidth for Personal Reasons Is Stealing—and Dangerous
Most employees understand that stealing from their office is not acceptable, but often it’s the definition of “stealing” that causes problems. For example, if a spare pen or pencil from someone’s desk ends up in his or her car, must they return it? Is it stealing if they don’t? What about making personal copies on […]
