Walsh IT Group Blog

Isn’t it incredible how some people can build bad habits over the span of several years, then break them and replace them with better ones? It might look like it’s easy, but the reality of the matter is that building bad habits and replacing them is an incredibly difficult and time-consuming process. The brain literally undergoes physical changes during this process, and it’s all thanks to a neuroscientific principle called neuroplasticity.

Any organization that holds medical records or other healthcare-related sensitive data needs to consider legislation and organizations that govern the privacy of those records. In this case, we are referring to HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, and HITRUST, the Health Information Trust Alliance. These two acronyms are incredibly important for healthcare providers in the United States to understand.

No matter how new a device is, the unfortunate truth is that it will not last forever. Eventually, you will need to replace your device; the question then becomes what you do with your old technology. While you could just throw it in the trash, this is not only wasteful but also a security risk. In order to protect both your personal data and the environment, you must go through the proper channels to make sure that e-waste gets properly disposed of.

It’s not a secret that we spend too much time on our phones, sitting in front of the computer or television, or just looking at screens in general. You don’t have to go out of your way to find commentary on the subject. What you might find interesting is that there have been an increasing number of studies that have consistently shown that the amount of notifications a person receives is directly related to their productivity; or, lack thereof. 

Around this time each year, there’s a tradition of people telling stories that have been passed down for years. We wanted to participate this year, so we’ve decided to reimagine a true holiday classic: Die Hard.

Let’s consider how the action may have played out differently if the movie’s events were to take place today…

The Federal Communications Commission has begun to target social media companies in what seems to be part of an overtly political act by the White House ahead of November’s elections. Today, we will take a look at Section 230, how it currently gives social media power that some politicians are uncomfortable with, and what they plan to do about it.

More than three-and-a-half billion people are active social media users, making it one of the best inventions of the 21st century. Recently, however, Twitter, one of the most used social media platforms in the world, got into some hot water when it labeled a tweet from President Donald Trump as having “potentially misleading information”. He then responded by signing an executive order condemning this action as a method of censorship. Let’s briefly unpack this issue.

‘Twas the night before Christmas, and with all the work done,
The office was closing for some holiday fun;
Their coats buttoned up, they had all saved their files,
Everyone’s face creased in a big, toothy smile.

Memes are some of the most popular--and important--ways people communicate. Today, we will go over what makes the Internet meme special and we’ll show you some of our favorite IT memes.

2.4 billion users actively use Facebook. That’s a lot of information that passes by the Facebook servers each day. One problem that Facebook has had over the past several years is dealing with personal data privacy. With it becoming a larger concern for individuals and businesses, alike, and we thought we would take a look at the Facebook privacy settings to see how you can better control your individual privacy.

With the use of computers and mobile devices becoming persistent in the culture, there have been some myths conjured up by people that have become just as incessant. These lead to people getting the wrong idea about situations with their IT; and, ultimately believe things that are going wrong, when nothing can be further from the truth. Today, we’ve picked five such scenarios we feel need to be debunked.

How would you feel if a video of you appeared online, saying things that you never actually said? While you may not be the one targeted by this kind of action, this situation is very real, thanks to a relatively recent development in machine learning and artificial intelligence. Known as “deepfakes,” these videos have made it crucial to examine media from a place of skepticism.

Advances in technology are changing the way people look at the world. One, seemingly simple way technology changes society is through the access to products. Companies like Amazon and eBay have changed retail forever with their use of the Internet, and today, most businesses prioritize their Internet-facing marketing efforts to find new customers. One industry that has popped up from the use of technology is app-based food delivery. Today, we will take a look at the food delivery industry.

Movies and television shows are a big part of our culture. When hackers are portrayed on the silver (or small) screen, there are some major dramatic elements added to their performances to keep the audience from dismissing key pieces of plot. Today, we will look at hacker portrayals, and what Hollywood gets right, and what it gets completely wrong.

Admit it, technology is changing the way you “consume” media. Who of us hasn’t binged a show on a streaming media service while simultaneously looking up the backstory of every character on the show? Today, people want to consume content the way they want, when they want, and for as long as they want; and technology has a lot to do with it.

The Internet of Things may have just entered social consciousness, but people have been trying to add Internet functionality to devices for quite some time. One instance of this is the development and manufacture of smart car technology. In the same way as our services are designed to proactively monitor and maintain your business’ network, a smart car has been developed largely as an completely connected automobile that allows car owners to worry less about their car and to get the most out of their investment and driving experiences.

Have you ever felt like talking to someone in the technology industry was like speaking with someone who spoke a different language? You’re not alone. It’s no secret that the IT industry loves their jargon - and has dozens of buzzwords at any given time. These are a few such words that have the industry buzzing right now!

In today’s political, social, and economic environment, information is more valuable than ever. However, this increased importance, paired with the speed that data can be dispersed via the Internet, has enabled many to use false information to manipulate the general public into agreeing with their views and acting upon them.

The Internet of Things has been growing rapidly, and with this growth it has become a major part of daily life. There are connected devices you couldn’t even fathom being needed, but some have turned out to be exceeding useful. In 1977, the release of Star Wars saw people’s imaginations expand. The science end of the sci-fi went into overdrive, and soon communications and computing would change forever. Despite being a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, the Star Wars universe introduced several concepts of the Internet of Things, decades before the IoT was even conceptualized. This week, we will take a look at the modern day Internet of Things, and how Star Wars primed us for our own future.

As technology has evolved, so have our capabilities of using it. While this has led to great improvements in how we can live our lives, it has also made it much easier for us to torment and harass one another. This is a huge problem, and growing, so it is important to know how to take a stand against it - both at home, and in the workplace.