Packaging is any product’s first impression on the customer. Contrary to the saying don’t judge a book by its cover, consumers definitely judge based on packaging. Marketers have long known this; it’s one of the classic 4 Ps of marketing. Now, where does packaging fit in today’s digital-first, experience-driven economy? Who has access to high-end packaging? The answer is: we all do. Packaging is an integral part of the new marketing ecosystem. And with the always improving digital press and printing capabilities of a modern print shop, the affordability and accessibility of great packaging increases. These advancements have contributed to the changes we are currently seeing in today’s marketplace. (more…)

Ransomware has quickly become the cybercriminal’s favorite form of malware. As a reminder, ransomware is malware that hackers use to enter a network or device, encrypts files, hold them hostage, and then demand a ransom to return those files back to the victims. In recent years, universities, municipal governments, small businesses, and even large corporations like Honda have been victims of ransomware. More recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has provided the perfect environment of uncertainty and disruption for ransomware to thrive. (more…)

The massive shift towards a work-from-home model in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic brings up the critical concern of home network security. A simple home network lacks the sophisticated security protocols that would be present within organizational networks and opens more endpoints for cybercriminals to exploit as your employees work from home.

Here are some security tips to consider that can help strengthen your organization’s security posture in this new normal of remote work. (more…)

Many organizations have recently found themselves scrambling to keep business running as usual while ensuring their staff and clients stay safe. COVID-19 has been testing the planning and preparation of IT Departments around the world.

Below are 5 measures that all business leaders should implement to keep their users productive in the face of disruption: (more…)

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought on a fair share of negativity in the business world, yet many technology companies are taking part in a global effort to support our economy during this period of disruption. Below are several examples of major technology partners providing free offers or lower cost solutions due to the COVID-19 crisis.

Microsoft: 6-month Office 365 E1 Trial

Microsoft created this trial as a direct response to COVID-19. Office 365, and more specifically Microsoft Teams, is a great solution for helping remote employees stay productive, connected, and collaborative. This trial can easily be upgraded to a paid subscription after the 6 month trial period. (more…)

With the transition to remote work in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, many organizations and schools are transitioning to using Zoom for online collaboration and learning. This has seen the online conferencing service get hit with multiple cyberattacks, and there are now over 500,000 leaked Zoom accounts available for sale on the dark web. (more…)

Everything is different now. In just a matter of weeks our world of work, interaction, and collaboration has transformed.  And for most Canadian organizations, technology is at the heart of your ability to respond effectively.  Welcome to the new normal of widespread remote work.  Unfortunately, many organizations are in survival mode. They are on their heels, trying to adjust temporarily, until they can get “back to normal”.  But what does “normal” look like on the other side of this pandemic crisis? (more…)

Think of the most popular brands in the world. You could recognize them anywhere. Why is that? Aside from their global presence, these brands have one thing in common – they adhere to a strict set of brand guidelines. (more…)

On June 15th, 1993, the Portable Document Format (or PDF) was born. PDF was created by Adobe® to be a standard document format which would allow for the exchange of documents across different systems (i.e., Windows, Mac, Linux, etc). The PDF file format allowed for any end-user to read/view a document, regardless of their system and irrespective of the native application that created it. (more…)

This is the final blog in a four-part series that will help you create a roadmap for your journey to build and maintain a better IT system. [Part 1], [Part 2], [Part 3]. (more…)