TaylorWorks, Inc. Blog

We live in a world where technology is central to everyday life, yet unfortunately it does not last forever. Eventually, your smartphone, laptop, smartwatch, or other device will reach its end of life, or EOL. This is when the manufacturer stops supplying critical updates—including security.

Artificial intelligence is a hot topic nowadays, making data an even more valuable resource. After all, AI platforms rely on data to function.

Due to this, many platforms and services collect data from their users to feed these algorithms. LinkedIn was recently discovered to have started doing so—by default—without informing users or updating its terms of service. 

Nobody likes the thought of the device they rely on daily suddenly dying, leaving them without a phone, a laptop, a smartwatch, or whatever the case may be. This is why it is important to stay conscious of when these devices are due to reach their end-of-life date, or EOL, when the manufacturer will no longer support them or provide crucial updates.

Fortunately, there’s a resource that makes this monitoring far easier to manage.

Google Drive is an extremely useful cloud storage and file sharing platform that many businesses use as a part of the Google Workspace productivity suite, or as a stand alone cloud storage solution. We thought it would be useful to give you a couple of ways to use Drive to share large files.

If you want your business to thrive, then you need to set goals that allow it to do so. Today, we want to explore a framework for goal setting that your business can benefit from: the SMART goal framework.

AI might be able to pull off some crazy things, but it’s far from perfect. Depending on the service or solution, it can dramatically increase your output or change your workflow for the better. If you’re not up-to-snuff with your Photoshop skills, you can rely on AI to help you fill in the gaps, both literally and figuratively, in your photo editing skills.

Setting up Google Alerts is a useful way to stay informed about topics that interest you. This tool allows you to receive notifications whenever new content related to your chosen keywords appears online. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to set up Google Alerts effectively.

Utilizing a form to gather data for your business offers myriad benefits, including insights into customer impressions, service needs, and employee feedback for collaborative decision-making. However, the challenge arises when it's time to consolidate responses—unless you're proficient with the available tools.

The fact is that phishing messages are all over the place. It doesn’t matter if you are a large corporation or a small business with only a dozen employees; the threat of phishing attacks is real and should be prepared for. Thankfully, one of the easiest ways to avoid phishing messages is as easy as moving your mouse. We are, of course, talking about hovering over links.

It might not be as obvious as with a desktop computer, with their visible fans and external components, but laptops also must be kept clean and tidy, free of dust and debris. There is a bit of a different process to keeping a laptop clean compared to a traditional desktop, though, so today, we want to highlight these differences and walk you through how it’s done.

With technology being such an important part of doing business, making the right calls on how to spend your IT budget is important. Before diving into any technology purchases, take a step back and assess your business’ specific needs. What are your goals, challenges, and pain points? Understanding these aspects will help you narrow down the technologies that truly add value to your operations. Let’s take a look at a few technologies that can help a business spend wisely on their IT. 

All things considered, Windows 11 has received favorable reviews, although it can also be considered a somewhat unnecessary upgrade from Windows 10. Upgrading has significant benefits, provided you have the hardware to handle it. Microsoft wants users to have accounts to install the operating system, but there is a way to install Windows 11 without it.

You love your pets. They are part of your family and bring you more joy than most other things. Unfortunately, pets and technology simply don’t mix. In today’s blog, we thought we’d go through a few tips that can help you protect your technology from your furry (or not-so-furry) friends. 

The password is the number one data protection strategy used in computing. It’s strange, however, how many times a weak password is the cause of data breaches and other situations that can hurt a business. In today’s blog, we go through some of the best password creation tips that will allow you to better secure your individual and business data. 

Securing accounts is part of a comprehensive security strategy, and it all begins with practicing proper password hygiene. Are you using strong, complex passwords that are going to keep your accounts safe? While we always recommend using multiple measures to protect accounts, starting with your passwords can be a good way to build up to this. Let’s go over how to use better passwords for all of your online accounts and business needs.

In April 2023, Google made a statement claiming that the Android platform would be able to archive unused applications with the intention of preserving storage space on the device. This came with a caveat: it would only do so if the device was almost out of available space. This auto-archiving feature, however, was released to a pleasant little surprise; it is available to all users, regardless of how much storage space is left on the device.

Your business’ network is critical to your operations, making it all the more important that you have it properly secured. Fortunately, there are a few relatively simple and straightforward ways to help do so. Let’s share some of the network security basics you need to prioritize.

We know you don’t need to be reminded that the administrative part of your job is one of the more unpleasant bits, at least one of the more boring parts of your work. One task that is particularly dull is creating different folders for all your employees, projects, and organizational needs. Microsoft Excel, however, makes it much easier to handle this mundane task—and you’ll feel like a pro for using it in this way.

Microsoft Excel is a powerful tool for organizing and analyzing data, and its ceiling for mastery is incredibly high. Thankfully, you don’t need to know every little thing about Excel to get value out of it, and thanks to built-in features like Auto Filter, you can still get plenty of value out of it even if you’re not a power user. Let’s go over how you can use Auto Filter to more effectively navigate spreadsheets filled with data.

Google Docs has been a worthy competitor to the ubiquitous Microsoft Word since the search engine giant launched the service in 2006. Since then, it’s been used by personal accounts and businesses as a fantastic alternative to the Microsoft Office suite. Google was able to beat Microsoft to the punch with a nearly fully-featured, browser-based document editor that allowed incredibly easy collaboration and sharing capabilities. However, there’s one little hang-up that people often run into when using Google Docs, and we’re going to show you how to overcome it.