08/23/17 Filed in:
Windows | Macintosh
Hope is not a strategy when it comes to protecting your valuable data. If you hope your data never becomes wiped, lost, hacked or manipulated, you’re already in trouble.
It is not optional to back up your Mac®. Backing up your computer on a regular basis protects your professional and personal data against loss, theft, damage or corruption. Backups offer the iron-clad insurance you need for fast recovery at work and at home.
But don’t assume that a single backup to an external hard drive or even a drive on your desk is good enough. It’s not. Because a fire or flood at your office or home may not be selective as to the damage it causes. Plus, if you rely on your Mac to get your work done, you may not want to wait as long as it will take to restore from certain types of backup devices.
Here is a triple-play backup strategy will help you avoid virtually all of these problems.
Backup #1: Time Machine
Apple® has been making backups easier since 2007 by providing Time Machine® software with the Mac. Set it up with an external drive and it will cheerfully create versioned backups that contain multiple copies of each file as it changes over time. With versioned backups, you can restore a lost or damaged file to its most recent state, or to any previous state. That’s essential if corruption crept in unnoticed and you’ve been backing up a corrupt file for some time. Time Machine also enables you to restore an entire drive as of the latest backup, which you might do if you have to reformat or replace your drive.
Read More...Tags: Backup, Cloud, TimeMachine, Crashplan, Carbon Copy Cloner
07/18/16 Filed in:
Windows | Macintosh | BackupsRemember that scene from the iconic movie “Jaws” where the young woman is swimming at the beach at night and is suddenly attacked by a great white shark? The viewer knows something bad is going to happen as soon as the ominous music starts to play. If computers came equipped with a soundtrack like that, we could all be aware when their inevitable failure is imminent. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case and critical data is often lost because a backup hasn’t been performed recently or at all.
You don’t have to be caught unaware if your computer crashes.
Read More...Tags: offsite, Cloud, Security
04/13/16 Filed in:
Software | Macintosh | Windows | iOS
It’s not news that teamwork is essential to business success. You’re only as strong as your weakest link and all that jazz. To keep your team functioning at highest capacity, they need to be able to collaborate efficiently; however, workplace collaboration can be a real challenge for businesses with employees who work remotely or from different office locations. Even if all your staff works in the same building and on the same floor of that building, ensuring that each person is working with the most current version of any particular file or project can seem like a juggling act with updates flying fast and furious, usually via email . The result is multiple versions of the same project in various stages of update -- in other words, a big mess. This is where a file management and document sharing tool like Soonr can help.
Read More...Tags: File Sharing, Cloud, Soonr
12/15/15 Filed in:
Software | Macintosh | WindowsPart of being a good service provider is building a level of trust with our clients. One of the ways we know we’ve won their trust is when they ask us for recommendations to help with their business operations. They rely on our knowledge and experience to steer them in the right direction because they trust that we have their best interests at heart. And we do.
Inevitably, this conversation leads to them asking about what we use in our offices, because if it works for us, then surely it will work for them. While we can’t guarantee that perfect match 100% of the time, quite often it is true.
We think this applies to Xero accounting software. It’s what we use at CranstonIT and we have an expert available to set it up for you and train you how to use it.
Read More...Tags: Accounting, quickbooks, Cloud
09/10/15 Filed in:
iOS | Macintosh | Software
iTunes users know they have virtually an entire world of music available at their fingertips. Think of just about any artist and song and it’s likely you can find, purchase, and download it to your device from the iTunes store. From there you can create music playlists to suit your mood or activity.
But what if you want to be a little more spontaneous than that and listen to something new based on your preferences and tastes? What if you didn’t have to purchase songs individually, but could access a music library of over 30 million (yes, million) tunes and stream music with help from your own personal music concierge? These “what if” scenarios are what Apple offers with its new Apple Music service.
Read More...Tags: Apple Music, Streaming, Cloud
02/24/15 Filed in:
Software | Macintosh | Windows | iOSTeam based communication in business is an often overlooked function in today’s business environment. Obviously, there are lots of ways to communicate: email, instant messages, phone, VOIP, online forums, but all them lack key features that make team based communication effective. Slack is a new cloud based communication service that allows teams to communicate easily and efficiently all in one place. While barely a year old with already 500,000 daily users, Slack has single handily revolutionized the way businesses are communicating. So what is Slack’s magic and how can it transform your team’s communication?
Read More...Tags: Email, Cloud, Business, Collaboration
02/24/15 Filed in:
iOS | GeneralIt’s hard not to worry about losing your stuff and often the things we care about the most are the ones we can't live without. Thankfully, there’s a solution that will put your mind at ease. Tile is a keychain sized square that can be attached to virtually anything. Slip it into your wallet or purse, attach it to valuable electronics, or clip it onto your keychain and never have to worry about losing them again.
Read More...Tags: Cloud, Tile
07/25/14 Filed in:
Software | GeneralNot being able to open a file because of out-of-date software or not having the right program can be frustrating. Often we are scrambling for a way to convert the file which usually ends in downloading programs that don't work anyway. Zamzar is a free web based service that allows you to convert virtually any file type. There are no programs to download and no credit card needed; just log onto
zamzar.com and create an account. Zamzar supports 1,200 file types which include audio or video files and allows you to simply upload a file and choose what you’d like to convert it to. Aiming to convert your file in under 10 minutes, Zamzar delivers in speed and convenience.
Read More...Tags: File Conversion, Cloud
06/17/14 Filed in:
Software | Macintosh | WindowsIn a electronic age where fast pace business environments have become the norm, using services such as file sharing, tasks lists, and instant messaging has taken over the way we collaborate. Often, we have different programs or services that is being used to fulfill these different needs which can lead to losing data, or at best managing many windows. Samepage.io is a unique website that allows you to collaborate in all the ways you did before, just in one convenient location.
Read More...Tags: Reviews, Cloud, Business, Collaboration
06/17/14 Filed in:
Software | General | iOSPlanning a getaway can be fun, but often we find ourselves lost in the never ending details of confirmation numbers, addresses, directions, and flight information. The overwhelming amount of logistics is often made even more complicated when you need to share your trip plans with friends and family. TripIt is a free service that takes all of your travel plans, cuts out the useless information, and compiles them in to a simple, easy-to-read itinerary that you can share with anyone who needs to know your plans.
Read More...Tags: travel, Reviews, Cloud
As a kid, overprotective moms were annoying. Whether you or your best friend had one, they were always there, having you check in every five minutes. As an adult, sometimes you may wish that you still had a paranoid mother looking over your shoulder. There’s good news! Kitestring is that overprotective mom you wish you had!
Read More...Tags: Safety, Cloud
10/21/13 Filed in:
Software | Windows | MacintoshBacking up your data is not an option. It’s a necessity. Computer crashes and server glitches are inevitable. They will happen, trust us on this. We know. What is not inevitable is data loss. Your data can be protected. It can also be restored quickly and efficiently.
Our professional data backup service safeguards your data up to the minute. It’s automatic and continuous, and we securely store your data on enterprise-grade servers at off-site data centers.
Read More...Tags: Backup, offsite, Cloud
05/23/13 Filed in:
Software | Macintosh | WindowsAs many of you already know, Kerio Connect is an ideal solution for businesses that need a reliable yet affordable alternative to Microsoft Exchange. This powerful mail server provides email, shared calendars and contact management to most email clients, web browsers and mobile devices. It also has integrated anti-virus, multiple layers of spam control, built-in archiving, automated backup and an easy Web Administration interface.
It is completely cross platform and works on Macs, PCs and mobile devices. This means everything is integrated even if Windows users are using Outlook and Mac users are using Apple Mail, Address Book or iCal. Kerio Connect can be run on your own internal server or hosted by CranstonIT in the cloud.
Read More...Tags: Hosting, Cloud, Email, Calendaring, Contact Sharing, mail, Kerio
05/23/13 Filed in:
Macintosh | Hardware | SecurityLaptop theft is on the rise. Sadly, the majority of stolen laptops are never found. As you can guess, the ever-popular Macs are one of the prime targets.
How do you protect yourself? The most important actions must be taken before your laptop is ever stolen.
First, think about your data. For many of you, your data is more valuable than the computer itself. So, you must frequently backup to an external hard drive or a cloud based service like
ClouDox. This helps ensure that your data is backed up and can be restored if needed.
Read More...Tags: Kensington Lock, theft, Cloud, tracking, laptops, desktops
02/26/13 Filed in:
Software | BackupsBacking up your computer is something that we all know we should do, but most people don’t take the time to keep their data protected. The good news is that with Apple’s software tools and the easy availability of high speed internet, having reliable backups is a relatively painless process.
There are two primary types of backup: local and cloud. A local backup is a copy of your data stored on a separate device that is the same location as your computer. Typically, this an external hard drive at your home or office. A cloud backup is a copy of your data transferred over the internet and stored at a datacenter.
Read More...Tags: Backup, Cloud, TimeMachine, TimeCapsule, network, Cloudox
01/16/13
Evernote is an essential organizational tool. It keeps all of your text notes, web pages, files and images organized and synchronized onto every device and computer you use including Apple, Windows and Android products. You can keep every aspect of your life right at your fingertips, which will save you time and allow you to be much more productive.
Read More...Tags: Reviews, macintosh, Evernote, Cloud, mobile
