woman stressed at her laptop

Minimizing Blue Light

While the sun naturally emits blue light, too much artificial blue light from computers, laptops, phones, and other devices can cause sleep trouble, eye strain, and headaches. Here are a couple of ways to reduce discomfort. To adjust color temperature and reduce blue light on your Windows devices, select Start > Settings > System > Display > Night Light Settings. Under …

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Tips & Tricks for Teams

When you come across an important message that you need to refer to later, bookmark it! Hover over the message and click on the three dots to the right of the emoji faces Click on Bookmark To search for this bookmark at another time, type /saved into the search bar If you then click on the chat icon in the …

Search Engine Tips

Search Engine Tips When you’re on a webpage with content you want to know more about, highlight a word or phrase you’re interested in, then right click & select “Search Google for…” Google will find additional information for you. Searching for something very specific? Use quotes around your search terms. This tells search engines that you want to find that …

Removing Dropbox from your computer

While it’s a convenient workflow to have Dropbox linked directly to your computer, it also has the potential to significantly slow the computer’s performance. The larger the quantity and size of files saved to the linked Dropbox account, the more likelihood there is for lag time. Frustrating as it may be when this happens, you must unlink your Dropbox account …

Browsing History, Key Commands and Passwords

BROWSING HISTORY, KEY COMMANDS AND PASSWORDS We want to keep you informed with the latest technology tips. Here are some that we’ve found most helpful this month. In Chrome or Firefox browsers, you can quickly find a recent page you visited by right-clicking on the back arrow to view a list of your browsing history. Or, in the event that …

iphone tips

A Recent iPhone Scam

A RECENT IPHONE SCAM iPhones are notoriously safe against viruses and malicious software. And most of us would consider ourselves wise in detecting these cyber-scams in the current age of technology. However with Social Engineering, a scammer can easily impersonate Apple, for example. When caller ID says that Apple, Inc. is our incoming call, we would likely assume it’s safe, …

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HEIC Files and more…

HEIC Files, Windows Shortcuts, and more… What are HEIC files? HEIC files (High Efficiency Image Format) are image files from an iPhone. They aren’t natively supported by Windows but there should be codecs you can download to view them in Windows, and Microsoft and Google might start supporting them soon. HEIC files are much smaller than other image file types, …

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Windows Tips and Shortcuts

Windows Tips and Shortcuts Keyboard Shortcuts for Mac and Windows CTRL+Tab cycles through browser tabs on both Mac and Windows. CTRL+SHIFT+Tab cycles the opposite direction. Adobe Acrobat Troubleshooting If you’re experiencing problems with Adobe Acrobat, try signing out of the software and signing back in. This should refresh the Adobe license and solve the issue. Printer Hack If your color …

Holiday Gift Guide from our Technicians – 2018

Holiday Gift Guide from our Technicians – 2018 Our technicians have the best recommendations for gifts this year, no matter the age or budget. Keep reading for our gift ideas, and you’re sure to find something special for yourself or a loved one. The Embr Wave Bracelet (on sale for $239) is the perfect gift for someone who’s always too hot …

Outlook calendar time zone

Outlook Time Zone Tips

Outlook Time Zone Tips You can change Outlook’s settings to view a second time zone in Outlook Calendar. Just go to File > Options (or Outlook > Preferences on a Mac), and on the Calendar tab, under “time zones,” type a name for the current time zone in the Label box. In the time zone list, click the time zone …

Equipment Lifespan – What You Can Do

Equipment Lifespan – What You Can Do Tidy Equipment = Longer Lifespan We often see messy equipment racks and offer to tidy them up for our clients. This isn’t just a cleanliness pet peeve – it serves an important purpose. When equipment is tidy and has enough breathing room (e.g., not stacked on other pieces of equipment), it stays cooler …

Cybersecurity & Russia, iPhone Charging, and more…

Cybersecurity & Russia, iPhone Charging, and more… Keyboard on Windows If you tend to accidentally press keys on your keyboard (perhaps due to hand tremors), “Filter Keys” can be enabled on Windows to slow down the key response so mistyped or repeated keystrokes don’t register. This accessibility feature doesn’t seem to affect regular typing. Outlook Calendars You can merge calendar …

managed services mobile devices

iPhone Tips and Tricks

iPhone Tips and Tricks Is “Planned Obsolescence” Real? Have you ever suspected that your older iPhone or iPad’s performance suffers when newer models or software updates are released? This article may bring us one step closer to proving that “planned obsolescence” is real. If your battery has degraded, Apple’s built-in code actually slows your device down. Your older iPhone could be …

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Memorable Passwords, Phishing, and Troubleshooting

Memorable Passwords, Phishing, and Troubleshooting When Troubleshooting, Don’t Overthink It If your computer is acting erratically, try basic troubleshooting first. This could include powering the machine down, then back up, closing windows and quitting programs. Also, don’t forget about external devices, as sometimes disconnecting these can resolve the issue. Try disconnecting the keyboard, mouse, track pad, etc. to see if …

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Email Encryption, Send Limits, and Equipment Replacement

Email Encryption, Send Limits, and Equipment Replacement Equipment Replacement Often, sticker shock steers us to purchase cheaper solutions, but these decisions can come at a cost. That cost could be increased down time or more frequent service calls due to equipment failures. Replacement equipment should be of the same or higher quality than the item replaced. For example, Decypher would …

Steps to PCI Compliance

How To Keep Your Browsing Data Private

How To Keep Your Browsing Data Private The government has recently moved to deregulate internet privacy laws so that Americans’ browsing data could be up for grabs to the highest bidder. Internet service providers want to collect as much data as possible to track people’s browsing habits, so they can better market and sell their products to consumers. In an age …

DNS, HP Scanning, and the Best of CES – Decypher Tech Tips

We want to keep you informed with the latest technology tips, so we’re sharing information from our technical meetings that we’ve found most helpful this month. DNS: Sometimes mistakes happen when updating your website and for whatever reason the Internet Records (DNS) that tell people how to send you mail or get to your website get deleted. If you don’t …

Decypher Tech Tips – January 2017

We want to keep you informed with the latest technology tips, so we’re sharing the information we’ve found most helpful this month. Office for Mac Updates: New Office for Mac Updates are bringing major improvements in speed. Join the Office Insider for Mac program to get releases ahead of the standard public release. Free Software: Here are a couple of free …

Decypher Tech Tips, March 2016 – Printing Tips

We want to keep you informed with the latest technology tips, so we’re sharing the information we’ve found most helpful this month. Printers: HP’s All-In-One Printer Remote mobile app (available on iTunes and Google Play) extends desktop functionality to your mobile device. The app provides the following features: Print from your mobile device: Use your tablet or smartphone to print …