Global Chip Shortage 2023 - Is It Affecting Your Business in Abbotsford?

Since early 2020, you may have heard whispers about the notorious “chip shortage”, and wondered how or if it’s effecting your Fraser Valley business

Whether you know much about it or not, it has been impacting local business here in the Fraser Valley, in ways that continue to evolve.

For those who aren’t technicians or haven’t Googled it yet, the “chips” in discussion are “the brains of electronic devices” and “can be found in a range of products from cars to home appliances to smartphones” (CNBC). They are small pieces of semiconductor material that contain electronic circuits, and are essential to the functioning of many of these devices, as they allow for the processing and storage of information. As you can imagine, with the never-ending rise of devices taking over our lives and homes, these are in very high demand.

The semiconductor industry, which has mostly been controlled by China, hasn’t been able to keep up with this demand. Between the War in Ukraine, rising tensions between the USA and China, and ongoing distribution complications lingering from the Coronavirus, production and distribution of these chips has been slipping and has not been able to recover. This has resulted in less product being available, as well as inflated prices. Specifically for local businesses here in the Valley, the chip shortage has affected the availability of products that are critical for our businesses to operate; You may have encountered long wait times for new PCs and Routers, phones, POS Systems, or other devices. This has made it challenging for our businesses to operate efficiently, causing us to lose customers and revenue.

The big news this season is that the chip shortage is coming near a resolution!

Experts are saying that things are looking up for chip production for all devices except automotive, which are projected to remain in a shortage for a while longer (Outlook). The USA has committed large investments to bring our main sources of chip production to the West (Forbes), so that Europe and the Americas do not have to rely on China for the production of important devices required for business, leisure, government, or military activities. We are certainly hoping that for the sake of our community, the predictions turn out to be accurate, so that all our businesses in the Fraser Valley can regain full access to the products they need, when they need them.

In the meantime, if you are located in Abbotsford, Chilliwack, or another neighbouring city, please feel welcome to fill out this form for a complimentary business tech consultation.

We’ll make sure your tech is running optimally, so you can focus on what really matters to you: your business.

Cyber Insurance - Does your Fraser Valley Business Need It?

Recently, insurance companies in Abbtosford and across the country have been changing their cyber insurance policy to require that insured companies implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) and have an emergency data breach plan.

They are tightening their requirements to make sure less breaches happen, and that swift and efficient procedure takes place right away when they do.

What does this say to us, as customers, employees, business owners and technology users?

A goal of insurance companies is to not have any claims. The requirements on their policies are designed to limit as many disasters as possible. Claims cost them deeply! This means that their recommendations are based in carefully monitored statistics, so that they can ensure that you truly are as protected as possible. Companies that provide cyber insurance specifically, will typically have excellent testing systems to see if your data breach plan and your security systems are working the way they should. Upon an unsuccessful test, they can provide really helpful feedback on how to strengthen security systems.

Try getting a quote from a local insurance company in Chilliwack or Abbotsford so you can understand your risks, test your security systems and ensure your company’s protection.

We love insurance companies, and highly recommend cyber insurance for all our clients. We’d way rather make our money keeping you secure, instead of putting out lethal security fires.

You are always welcome to contact us for a free quote for your company’s data security, and data breach plans.

How Fraser Valley Businesses Can Prepare For Outages

If you are a local in the Fraser Valley, you've almost certainly heard of or suffered from the recent major Roger’s network outage across Canada.

CTV reports that almost every type of communication services were cut off, ranging from cell phone service to internet. Although it’s probably good for a people to fast things like reality tv and twitter, it is not so good for businesses and emergency services, such as 911, or government services, such as the ArriveCan app. Another more fatal consequence of the outage was lost access to many banks, so many Canadians could not use their debit or credit cards, or withdraw cash. All of this occurred because Rogers attempted to update a critical system (which went badly, to say the least).

Today, though, we want to address the effect of the outage on Fraser Valley businesses, and how they can protect themselves the next time it occurs.

All businesses need to make money, which is difficult when the primary source of cash flow is gone. Many Fraser Valley businesses today make the mistake of relying on debit and credit. We know this is a super easy system to count on; having one tablet and a minimalist system has its perks. The issue is, in any power outage or network outage, you’re in a pickle. We highly recommend never relying on just one system. At least have two set up at all times, so that when one fails, you are off the hook! For ourselves, we have a backup phone system because clients and suppliers need to be able to reach us if the wifi or network provider (such as Rogers) disappears!

In any retail industry, we stress the importance of teaching staff to run on cash, and having a good plan for internet and power failure.

Have emergency cash prepared for your staff and for gas. Make sure your email address and phone number are commonly known, on google, social media profiles and your store door. When you do end up having to run on cash, don’t forget to let your customers know BEFORE they come inside and fill up their buggies. Have someone standing by the door, or have aa good sign. One store in particular during the Rogers outage was prepared to run on cash, but didn’t tell their customers that purchases could be cash only until they got to the register. There was no sign on the door, or announcements on the intercom or online. Dozens of customers had to leave their buggies at the till, full of melting frozen food. It was a disaster!

Everything fails at least once per year, so make sure that you have at least two systems to run your company on, and an emergency plan in place, so that you are always in business!

Contact us to request a quote if you want to discuss backup system options for your company in Abbotsford, Langley, Chilliwack or Mission!

How to Protect Yourself Against Identity Theft

We regularly seek to inform you about the dangers of phishing and malware attacks, and how failure to protect against or respond quickly to them could be lethal to your companY.

Our friends over at Terravista Tech wrote an informative article sharing the story of the identity theft of a local business here in Chilliwack. The attackers stole the email addresses of the company, used them to send phishing emails to clients and other companies until Microsoft locked down all of their email for the entire company. Recovering from this attack was a hailstorm.

All the hackers needed to cause this damage was a password, and unfortunately many companies still have very basic password systems such as (company name)(year). Other hackers might only need one small piece of information, such as your birthday, your SIN (social security number), or your dog’s name to gain access to highly sensitive information. Sometimes, a person’s identity might be compromised for years before they notice, if the thief works slowly in order to be undetected. 

Here’s how to make sure this does not happen to you, or your company.

Boost your Security

Hire a professional IT company for your company. They will make sure your software is always up to date with security patches, and that your information security system is best as possible. They will make sure you have managed antivirus software. 

You can make sure to be on top of these things for your personal computer as well. Always install computer updates, use MFA (Multi Factor Authentication) on your accounts, and use legitimate antivirus software. On top of that, you can make sure to never turn off your firewall, and protect your wireless router with a strong password.

Don’t Overshare or Underestimate

It’s tempting to send important information over email or text, but it’s not worth the risks. We have all likely been guilty of sending personal information over apps such as Instagram, Snapchat, or Whatsapp as well! It's easy to think that just once will probably be safe enough, and so we overshare on these platforms, and underestimate the abilities of hackers.

Even on social media, many of us share regular updates of our families (revealing your mother’s maiden name, maid of honour's first name, or dog’s name), celebrations (birthdate, father’s birth year, our high school reunion), and more. This gives hackers the information they need to pass security checks even on the most important accounts such as your CRA login or your bank account, or your company Microsoft account. Oversharing reveals that you underestimate what hackers are capable of. We have seen local businesses shut down, or be forced to navigate hundreds of thousands to even millions of dollars in losses over hacks like this.

If you want to ensure your business is protected from identity theft, call a local IT support company for an assessment of your company’s security, and a consultation on how to potentially improve it.

We offer initial consultations free of charge, so feel free to contact us if you are a local company looking for support in this way!

The Dangers of a Power Outage

As many of you may have noticed and been affected by, there was a large power outage in East Abbotsford last Friday May 06 2022.

Our office was in the outage zone, as well as a few of our houses and favourite local businesses. This event was a good reminder to us to teach you about what to do with your tech in an unexpected outage like this in order to ensure no damage is done to your equipment, no data is lost, and your important equipment stays running long enough to complete important tasks.

To prepare for events such as outages, all critical equipment should be on uninterruptible power supplies, also known as a "UPS". A UPS should have enough battery life to allow you enough time to safely power down this equipment without damage or data loss.

How To Protect Your Equipment in an outage

Dangerous times for your equipment, even more-so that the original shutdown, are the moment the power comes back, and the small amounts of power during the outage.

When the power cuts out unexpectedly, whatever is open and unsaved on your machine can be corrupted and lost. A UPS is designed to give you buffer time to close everything correctly. What you may not know is that frequent power outages without a UPS increase the likelihood of data corruption and shorten the life of your electronics. Power flickering as well as the large surge when the power comes back on can do even more damage than the original outage.

Another good reason for a UPS is to protect against the damage caused by brownouts. Brownouts are those partial outages where the lights dim but don't go off. These may damage your equipment even more than a surge as they supply incorrect voltages and currents to your equipment which it may not be able to handle.

Finally, when the power comes back on, it is an unusual state for the power grid - all devices, buildings, lights, in a very large area all draw power at exactly the same time and the impact on your equipment can be severe. This can reduce your computer equipment’s life significantly, or damage it, or completely ruin it, signalled by a nasty burning smell. Many users have a surge bar that offers some protection, but this is rarely as good as the protection provided by a UPS, and most people don't know that surge protectors should be replaced after a few years or after a major surge event, as a malfunction is a common cause of fire.

Recommendations from wildfrog systems

In order to prevent damage and prolong the life of your computer investments, we highly recommend battery backups, and shutting down your equipment safely before those power supplies run out. Once the power is back on, wait a little longer to make sure it is stable before you turn your equipment on, and do it one device at a time. This will prevent damage and downtime, extend your tech’s life, and save you stress as well as money.

The Importance of Regular Rebooting: Optimizing Your Computer for Better Performance and Security

For most people, if they do not have a managed IT company performing all their regular checkups and maintenance activities, restarting their computer is something to do only when an application freezes. Restarting your computer often is a good idea for a variety of reasons; you shouldn’t wait for glitches to occur.

The Neglected Restart

For many computer users, especially those without managed IT support, restarting their computer is an action often reserved for addressing frozen applications. However, waiting for glitches to occur is not the best strategy when it comes to computer maintenance.

Why Is Rebooting Important?

Regularly restarting your computer is vital for several reasons:

• Improved Speed: If your computer is performing slower than usual, frequent restarts can help refresh its memory and clear accumulated cache, leading to improved speed.

• Error Resolution: Frequent restarts can address application errors and prevent issues from escalating.

• Connection Troubleshooting: If your computer struggles to connect to Wi-Fi, a simple restart may resolve the problem.

• Overheating Prevention: A computer that feels warm to the touch may benefit from a restart, which helps manage temperature and prevent overheating.

• Software Updates: Many software updates require a full system reboot to take effect. Delaying restarts could mean your computer isn't benefiting from the latest security and functionality enhancements.

How to Prevent Glitches

If you're in Abbotsford, BC, and rely on IT services and tech support for your computer needs, here's a simple practice you can adopt. WildFrog’s owner, Jeff, suggests restarting your computer every day after work (for business computers) or before going to bed (for personal computers). By doing so, you ensure that your computer begins each day in a secure, refreshed state.

If you prefer a more automated approach, consider managed IT services. They offer subscription-based support that includes regular maintenance tasks like daily reboots. Managed IT services also ensure your data is secure and up to date, even when you're not actively monitoring it.

Testimony from the Field

Our tech expert, Alan, shares a story about a client who neglected regular computer updates: "A user couldn't find any Wi-Fi networks in their available list. I connected, rebooted the computer, and voila! Wi-Fi appeared. Sometimes, hardware and software don't cooperate, and a reboot sets them both back to a 'default' starting point. In this case, it was a Wi-Fi driver that needed updating and got stuck."

The Role of Managed IT

Regular reboots can solve common glitches, but prolonged periods without a restart can lead to more severe issues. That's where managed IT services come into play. For businesses with multiple computers or individuals who can't perform daily checks themselves, managed IT services are highly recommended.

Leaving your computer running until issues arise can result in far more significant problems than just a Wi-Fi connection hiccup. The cost of regular maintenance from a local managed IT company is relatively low, and it can prevent serious issues. If you have a business with multiple computers and need to ensure consistent maintenance, managed IT is your solution.

Are you interested in managed IT for your business in Abbotsford, BC? Contact us for a free consultation and learn how we can optimize your computer's performance and security. Don't wait for glitches; invest in proactive IT services to keep your systems running smoothly.