Technology Blog

Back in the day, we used to call our computers a “PC”, which stood for Personal Computer.

​This term is even more true today, where our computers, laptops, tablets, phones, and other technology have become an integral part of daily life.  Your technology is a important tool, and as a result, becomes an intimate and personal set of your information.  

Since your technology holds lots of important personal information about you, 208 Pro Tech recognizes the need to keep things confidential.  We commit to ensuring your data is protected.  We commit to helping you with the highest security and knowledge possible in order to keep it that way.  Our onsite and in-person support services ensure you have the best personal attention and quality technology service and support possible, in order to keep your business or home running at maximum potential.  

Be sure to like and follow our page for more updates.  

In our next update, we will share education and recent learnings regarding recent online shopping scams and other tips such as how valid or invalid online reviews really are.  We want to ensure you are educated.  Educated customers make great customer partners.

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No longer is it good enough to simply have an anti-virus or malware program as your defensive weapon to protect you from hackers and bad people.  These are good tools, but knowledge and education is more powerful and required.  

The connected world we live in has propagated many scams and attack methods.  Here is one we've seen recently:

Customers have called us, only after getting warned online that they had been hacked or their computer had been compromised.  Here is a sample picture of the intimidating message you might see: 

​Our technicians can quickly diagnose if you will benefit from a SSD. We will review system hardware performance graphs and share that info with you.

If if you want a SSD upgrade, we make it simple for you. We will completely re-image your existing hard drive onto a new solid-state drive, making the transition to the new drive a non event since everything is just as it was (only faster!)

​We install them in computers as old as 7 years, in order to give them a couple extra years of life. And, the good news is the SSD is still transferable to any new computer where you still see the investment benefit.

To learn more about SSD’s, read the article below.  It does a good job quickly explaining the various differences between a traditional hard drive and a new solid-state drive: https://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch001396.htm

If we can help explain the benefits, or install a drive for you, just give us a call!

Shown at the right is an actual phone bill from one of our customers.  They saved over $400 annually by having us help replace this with a VOIP phone.  
 
If you’re like many of us who uses your cell phone as your primary number, but wants a land line for other reasons, then this could be for you.  Possible uses of a inexpensive VOIP phone line:

• Install a phone line at your cabin or residence.
• Use it as a fax number.
• Children can use it when they get home from school, so they don’t have to have a cell phone.

This land line can be installed for a minimal fee, and will use your internet connection instead of traditional phone service.   Here's how it works:

In addition to the cost savings, you may get extra features that you would have had to pay extra for previously, such as:

• Caller ID
• Free calls to US and Canada
• Call Internationally at a very low rate
• Voice mail sent to your email
• 3 way calling
• Call screening
• Call waiting
• Call recording

Other additional services can be included (and may require an extra installation or ongoing service fee):

• Keep your existing landline phone number
• Wireless phone adapter (if a wired network connection is not available)
• Install e911 services
• Receive calls to your home #, on your cell phone

 
Please note that while this service has been reliable in our years of usage, that you must research and personally accept any and all differences.  There are limitations from traditional phone services, such as:

• If you lose power then you won’t have a phone. (since you won’t have internet)
• 911 services could be different.  (however, we believe we have a solution to resolve this, and make it the same)

If you have questions about how VOIP works, the costs, or the cost savings, please give us a call and let us help you today.