C3-Solutions, LLC Blog

Email attachments are a staple of digital communication, but they’re also one of the most common ways malware, viruses, and phishing schemes sneak past users. We’re all guilty of clicking that little paperclip before we assess the factors that could really end up being a pain in the side for you and your business. Before you click and potentially regret it, you need to take a beat. This month, we give you a comprehensive checklist for securely opening email attachments.

Technology. It’s the engine of modern business, promising efficiency and connectivity. In business, we’re constantly bombarded with stories (real or not) of competitors that have scaled overnight with a single app. While this potential is real, it often fosters an environment where unrealistic expectations about technology take root. This "tech dreamworld" can be more damaging to your business than a faulty server.

Let's be honest, we're all living through some wild times. Social media is everywhere, and nearly everyone uses it to one degree or another. We've all seen a simple online discussion devolve into relationship-ruining conflict; and it happens fast. The key to not letting it wreck your life is to use these digital spaces with purpose.

This month, we're dropping some simple tips to help you build a healthier, more meaningful online presence. Let’s get started:

Your network powers your business, so it makes sense that you would want to treat your networking hardware with the respect it deserves. Today, we want to explore some of the common networking solutions out there and how easy it can be to neglect them after the initial setup. Furthermore, we want to emphasize the importance of treating your networking as a priority; remember, your business runs on its network, and if it’s not performing well, all other areas of your business will suffer.

Getting hit by a ransomware attack is never what you could describe as a positive experience. In fact, it is a nightmare scenario for anyone. The immediate panic, the locked files, the looming demand for payment—it’s a chaotic and stressful experience. While most people understand the basic premise of ransomware, there’s a lot more to these sophisticated attacks than meets the eye.

There are some lesser-known facts that can significantly impact how you respond and, crucially, how you recover. Let's get into it.

What if we told you that not all VPNs were created equal? What if we said that some are meant to be used by consumers, while others are meant to be used for businesses that need to keep data secure while out of the office? Today, we want to clear up some misconceptions about what virtual private networks do, how they work, and what they actually protect you from—as well as how you can get started with a business-grade VPN today.

Email is necessary for your business to function, but it’s far from a perfect solution. In fact, you might experience all kinds of issues with it that can eat into your company’s productivity and put it at risk in more ways than one. We’re going to demystify two of the major problems that businesses experience with email so you can hopefully get your business back on track.

Business telephone systems are an interesting topic to consider these days. On one hand, you have the Internet, a sophisticated communication infrastructure that connects you with countless opportunities, but on the other, you have email and phone systems, which are direct lines to your business. At the end of the day, your customers will connect with you by phone—and as you might have guessed, how your business handles telephone calls matters.

Updates and upgrades are expensive, but that doesn’t mean your business can afford to skip them. More often than not, ignoring an update or upgrade to your technology is going to result in eventual bugs, hardware issues, and security vulnerabilities that can only be addressed with an update or an upgrade. First of all, what’s the difference between the two, and how do you know which one is necessary in a given situation?

You want your business to operate efficiently; that’s hardly a controversial statement. When you waste time, money, and resources, your business’ growth can crawl to a halt and give your competitors an advantage over you. Technology helps you bridge this gap and can give you the power to compete at higher levels than you’ve ever thought possible. Let’s go over some of the solutions modern businesses use to drive results.

There are a lot of issues that can impact the operations of your business, many of which are rooted in the hardware components of your computers. One of the most common issues with devices that are on their way out is issues with RAM. What is RAM, and how do you know if it’s time for a replacement?

Navigating the aftermath of a data breach can be a confusing and stressful experience. Whether it's a major company or a small business, a data breach means your personal information might be compromised. So, what should you do? Here’s a guide on how to react and what your options are.

Technology is the engine that drives most businesses, but even the most powerful engine can sputter and stall if not properly maintained. A simple slip-up with your technology can quickly turn into a major problem, costing you time, money, and even your reputation.

Here are five common ways businesses can unintentionally sabotage themselves with their tech:

Is your business’ technology hindering your employees, or is it making their jobs easier and more efficient? The right technology can go a long way toward improving the employee experience, morale, company culture, and most important of all, productivity. Let’s look at three ways technology makes for a better employee experience.

For anyone who has seen the movie Moneyball, remember Billy Beane and the Oakland A's? In the early 2000s, Beane revolutionized baseball with "Moneyball," a radical approach to team building. Faced with a shoestring budget, he eschewed traditional scouting metrics and instead used sabermetrics—advanced statistical analysis—to identify undervalued players. The result? A small-market team consistently outperforming richer rivals, proving that data, not just dollars, could buy success.

Fast forward to today, and the principles of Moneyball are more relevant than ever for modern businesses. In an increasingly competitive landscape, every company, regardless of size or industry, can leverage data to make smarter decisions, optimize resources, and ultimately, build a better business for less.

Business owners love to point to time theft and quiet quitting as reasons for lost productivity, seeing them as a decline in work ethic. Unfortunately, they are not seeing the forest through the trees in a lot of cases. Let's take a look at quiet cracking; or the slow, gradual breakdown of a knowledge worker's mental and emotional well-being under constant workplace pressure. It's not a sudden burnout, but a steady, silent erosion that's happening more than you might think.

While hiring anyone to work in your business offers an assortment of challenges to overcome, it’s especially complicated when that hire’s role involves managing your IT. Technology is a complex subject, after all, and your expertise more than likely lies elsewhere in your organization’s needs. This knowledge gap could lead to the wrong fit being brought on… an expensive endeavor in more ways than one.

Let’s face it, your business probably can’t remember the last time it used that old fax machine sitting in the corner. It’s taking up precious time, money, and resources that could be reinvested into other parts of your business. Don’t believe us? Here are three reasons why you should ditch the fax machine.

Collaboration with external vendors is a necessity. From software and cloud services to marketing and logistics, vendors are crucial partners that enable your business to operate and compete. This often requires vendors to access your business' sensitive data. Without proper controls, granting this access can expose your company to significant risks. Let's take a look at why vendors probably don’t need access to all of your data.

You might have IT staff in the office, but that doesn’t mean that all of your problems are handled with the time, speed, and attention they deserve. Your people might be overworked and overwhelmed by the amount of work demanded of them, and having coverage at all times comes at a cost—a cost that your technicians (and your business) aren’t willing to pay. Outsourcing helps you make up for this deficit in a way that’s both kind to your team and helpful for your budget.