The IT Experts

The Modern IT Technician

For years, to be a computer technician was to be able to fix individual PCs. Not to say that isn’t an exceptionally important part of the job today, but with the innovation of business technology, the development of more-dangerous-than-ever cyberthreats, and the demand for competent technical assistance, today’s technician needs to know more about business IT than ever..and that’s just the beginning.

Today’s IT technician, whether hired outright by an individual organization or as part of an expert team like the one we have here at KB Technologies Managed IT, needs to know more about technology than ever. They need to know how to fix a computer, sure, but they also need to know how to do it remotely, how to manage and install networks, how to identify and mitigate threats, how to structure a business’ IT around their goals, and do it at breakneck speed. 

The truth is, a competent IT technician is a problem solver and proficient in what have come to be known as industry best practices. As they advance, they will often pick up certifications. These certifications are not simple to get. They take aptitude, troubleshooting ability, and hard work to obtain. Some of the certifications the adept IT technicians hold include:

• CompTIA A+ - This is one of the most recognized IT certifications an IT technician can get. It shows that the technician is competent across hardware, software, and problem solving involving a wide variety of computing platforms. CompTIA also has a security certification (CompTIA Security+) that identifies individual technicians who are competent with basic security practices and troubleshooting.
• Microsoft Certified Professional - Microsoft has long been the most important software vendor for businesses. There are different degrees of Microsoft certifications from Office Specialist to Certified Solution Developer. A technician that holds a Microsoft certification can be of huge benefit as most of today’s business-centric software platforms are developed by Microsoft.
• CISSP - Certified Information System Security Professional is one of the most recognized security-specific certifications a technician can earn.
• Oracle or Microsoft SQL certifications - Databases aren’t easy to manage and they are critical to your business’ well-being. These certifications outline that the technician is proficient in SQL management.
• ITIL - Help desk technicians need to have Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) certification which demonstrates that the technician has a clear understanding of industry best practices. 

With certified technicians handing the brunt of your business’ IT management, you can gain the peace of mind that you have trained and experienced professionals handling every aspect of your business’ computing. 

If you would like to know more about our IT technicians and how they stack up against the people currently handling your business’ crucial technology, give us a call at (954) 834-2800 today.

What is Your IP Address?

IP is short for Internet Protocol. It is a numerical value assigned to your computer network on the Internet. To put it simply, the IP address is responsible for identifying the host and establishing your location on the Internet, all while creating a pathway between the two.

Without getting too in-depth, an IP address is simply the network location of a device, and it’s helpful to know when it comes time to configure devices, like your printer. It’s likely that you aren’t the one doing the configuring, so leave this technical know-how to your techs, but if you are curious about what your IP address is, read on and find out.

Finding Your Printer’s IP Address

If your drivers have already been installed, you should be able to access your device’s IP address right through the control panel. You may need to configure or troubleshoot your printer at some point, both reasons for why you might need to know your printer’s IP address.

You can only use these steps if your computer is already connected to the same network as your printer. If it’s a new printer and is not yet connected, be sure to check out the owner’s manual or call KB Technologies Managed IT at (954) 834-2800 for help!

Follow these steps to find your printer’s IP address:

• Open the Control Panel
• Navigate to Hardware and Sound
• Select View Devices and Printers
• Right-click on the printer you would like more information on
• Select Properties from the list of options
• Select the Web Services tab
• Under Troubleshooting information, you should see your printer’s IP address.

That’s it! Pretty easy stuff.

What are some other tips you’d like to see us cover in the future? Leave us a comment and subscribe so you don’t miss out on them.

While putting together these services, Comparitech looked at 12 different hacking sites and 100 different listings. These services, much like their legitimate and legal counterparts, are varied in pricing and scope, and they are paid for with Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies. Comparitech converted these prices to USD and reported on the average costs for these various hacking services.

Here are some of the services and price points for these services. We want to make it very clear that we are not showing these off to encourage you to take advantage of them. We just want to illustrate just how easily accessible they can be and to showcase the significant threat they can pose to your business.

• Personal Attacks ($551): These types of services might include defamation, financial sabotage, or legal threats.
• Changing Grades ($526): Students who are not happy with their grades pay hackers to infiltrate university grading systems and change their final grades to something higher.
• Website Hacking ($394): These attacks are made against websites or services with the intention of causing trouble or stealing information.
• Computer and Phone Hacking ($343): These attacks are leveraged against computers or phones with the intention of stealing information or deploying other types of threats.
• Social Media Account Hacking ($230): With these services, hackers can spy on or hijack people’s accounts.
• Email Hacking ($241): Hackers can steal access to email and either provide the password to the buyer or do the dirty work themselves.
• Distributed Denial of Service Attacks ($26/hour): One of the more unique services in terms of payment model is DDoS attacks, which launch traffic at a server in hopes of slowing it down or breaking it down entirely. These services are often paid for on a per-month or per-hour basis.

There are other services out there, too, but these are the most expensive and most common services.

Considering how low the barrier for entry is for these hacking services, individuals and businesses should be extremely concerned. Anyone could go on the Dark Web and hire someone to hack your business. We urge you to take this into account when planning out the security of your network. KB Technologies Managed IT can assist with this aspect of managing your business technology.

To learn more about what we can do for your business’ network security, reach out to us at (954) 834-2800.