If the name wasn’t clear enough, ‘bloatware’ is unnecessary manufacturer software that comes preloaded on new hardware. Just about no one likes it, and now Microsoft is giving us a tool to trim the fat. It may seem like small potatoes to anyone who hasn’t spent an afternoon removing apps one by one, but for the rest of us it’s a welcome blessing.

Keeping up with tech trends as a small or medium-sized business owner is tough. Virtualization may be a great example of this, but it’s definitely worth the effort. Between the boost to network security and ability to scale your workstations and servers according to your business growth, it’s time to start learning a little more about it.

Recent research by Burning Glass revealed that nearly 8 in 10 middle-skill jobs now require digital proficiency - and jobs that require digital skills pay an average of 18% more than those that don't. Essentially, the more literate you are digitally, the more money you will make.

For the past couple of years, Microsoft’s smartphones have been struggling to keep up with Android and Apple devices. Although Microsoft sells their handsets at lower price points and are constantly trying to improve user experience, the Windows Phone just isn’t cutting it in the consumer market.

Not every business owner who migrates to the cloud achieves great results. As much as the service is touted with words like “freedom”, “productivity” and “collaboration”, realizing the full benefits of these words is not a given. So if you’re thinking about transitioning to the cloud, how can you ensure you optimize the technology for your business? Well, it all starts with your attitude before migration.

SMBs see a lot of benefits to utilizing browser-based software, but generally avoid implementation for privacy and security concerns. Microsoft has finally addressed these issues by allowing businesses to host Microsoft Office locally. Popular pieces of software that usually take up a lot of space can now be securely accessed through a private cloud.

Most of us like to think we’d never click on a suspicious link in an email. But the fact of the matter is this is one of the most common ways a business is hacked. We’re all human of course, and we make mistakes. Yet now Microsoft is trying to prevent this.

If you’ve finally made the upgrade to Windows 10, you may be disappointed that it’s running slower than expected. You may wonder, what’s the cause of this? Well, thankfully there are a few typical culprits, and solutions to fix them. Here are four steps you can take to significantly speed up your Windows 10 OS.
Prevent programs from launching at startup
Windows loads several programs at startup so they’re quickly available.

Whether it’s a child trying to convince you to buy ice cream or one of the hundreds of soda advertisements you see every year, repetition is a common tactic used to incite people to take action. Sometimes you may not even notice the repetitive messages you’re receiving, like in the case of advertisements, while sometimes this persuasion method is blatant and annoying.

Microsoft Office might be boring to some people, but those users probably haven’t explored the exciting world of add-ins. Utilizing these cool features, which work inside your favorite Office application, can help change your experience for the better.