Entries by Garin Livingstone

The problem with Heartbleed

May 8, 2014 in , /by

Heartbleed is a much-publicized security flaw in the OpenSSL cryptography library; an update to this OpenSSL flaw was published on April 7th, 2014, which was (coincidentally?) the same day that the flaw was disclosed. OpenSSL runs on secure web servers certified by trusted authorities; it is estimated that about 17% of secure web servers may […]

Living with Windows XP

May 1, 2014 in , , /by

Microsoft has officially ended general support of Windows XP, but many have not updated or replaced their Windows XP PCs.  Although we recommend against continuing to use Windows XP, particularly in any Internet-facing role, there are some steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of remaining on this platform. The easiest, but least […]

Who is winning the smartphone war?

April 3, 2014 in , /by

Apple’s iOS phones get a lot of press, but Google’s Android phones own the market while Microsoft’s Windows Phones are showing signs of life. Android owned over 70% of the world-wide smartphone market in 2012 while Apple iOS held just 21%.  According to IDC, a market-research firm in Framingham, MA, Android-based phones accounted for over […]

How to tweak Windows 8 for business use

March 27, 2014 in /by

Anna D, Account Executive at Bryley Systems, reveals how she overcame some frustrations with Windows 8 and set it up for business use. “My experience with Windows 8 started out a little bumpy, but with a few tweaks, I was able to customize the OS (operating system) to be more suitable for my business needs. […]

Bryley Systems Ranks In World’s Top 501 Managed Service Providers

March 12, 2014 in /by

Nine Lives Media Names Bryley Systems Inc. of Hudson, MA to the MSPmentor 501 Global Edition – Seventh Annual Report Identifies World’s Top 501 Managed IT Service Providers (MSPs) March 11, 2014: Bryley Systems Inc. ranked 440 on Nine Lives Media’s seventh-annual MSPmentor 501 Global Edition), a distinguished list and report identifying the world’s top 501 managed […]

Fitness regime for your IT equipment: Keep it clean, cool, and empowered

February 27, 2014 in , , , /by

IT (Information Technology) equipment is somewhat temperamental; it requires reasonable temperatures; stable, uninterrupted power; and some air flow to operate efficiently.  Cleanliness is important.  Here’s how to keep it toned. IT equipment should be kept in a clean, neat, and (preferably) dust-adverse/static-resistant area; walls with painted surfaces, tiled or coated floors without carpeting, etc.  Fire-suppression […]

How To Activate Hardware Encryption On iPhone 3GS And Later

February 21, 2014 in /by

iPhones from 3GS and later offer hardware encryption; it is activated through the data-protection feature by enabling a passcode: 1. Tap Settings > General > Passcode. 2. Follow the prompts to create a passcode. 3. After the passcode is set, scroll down to the bottom of the screen and verify that “Data protection is enabled” […]

Comparing Cloud-based services – Part 4: Prevention

February 11, 2014 in , /by

Many Cloud-based services fall into one of these categories: Productivity suites – Applications that help you be more productive Storage – Storing, retrieving, and synchronizing files in the Cloud Backup and Recovery – Backing-up data and being able to recover it Prevention – Prevent malware, spam, and related components Search – Find items from either […]