Computers are incredibly useful, however they are also complex beyond belief. This is made even more so because of the large number of confusing acronyms, words and terms. If you read tech blogs, or have friends/colleagues who are in-the-know, you have likely heard them mention overclocking and may have wondered what it is, and if you should be looking into it.

Here's a brief overview of overclocking.

Definition: Overclocking When it comes to most tech based devices, the processor (or CPU) is the integral component that functions as the brain of the device; it runs the show. The job of the CPU is to take instructions and input from all the other devices and components and execute them. For example, double-click on a program on your desktop and the CPU computes what to do with the mouse click (open the program), and runs the related code, which is shown as the program opening.

One thing many computer sales people talk about is processor or CPU speed. This is the number of instructions it can run in one second. These instructions are grouped together into one cycle, and one cycle per second equates to a Hertz. You may see computers that have 2Ghz processors, this means 2 Gigahertz or 2,000,000,000 cycles in one second.

Now, when manufacturers release a new CPU they design it to run at a standard, or optimal speed, and will generally limit it. This is done to preserve the life of the components, however there are often ways to break this speed limiter. When you raise the maximum clock speed, beyond the intended clock speed, you are overclocking it.

Why overclock? The main reason users overclock a processor is to make their computer or device run faster. By overclocking, programs will often run or open faster and the general operation will seem smoother. In other words, you can get more out of existing technology without paying to upgrade.

Are there any drawbacks? While overclocking will give you more power and speed, there are some serious drawbacks that make this option risky. The biggest being heat. As you probably have noticed, when you use some devices (say a laptop on your lap) for an extended period of time, they get warm. That's because the components of computers create heat, lots of heat. When you overclock, the processor works harder, thereby generating more heat.

Computers are designed to operate at certain temperatures and if this level is surpassed, the components can wear out more quickly or in extreme cases melt. This means that overclocking will cause your computer's parts to wear out quicker and will decrease the life of the device.

Should we overclock our devices? Did you know that you can overclock nearly anything with a processor? The most common are computers and new smartphones, especially Android devices. When you hear people talking about overclocking their device, they are almost always talking about personal devices.

While it's true, you will get a speed boost in the short run, overclocking will increase your IT budget in the future, because you will have to replace parts more often than is usual. Because most businesses tend to use their technology longer than personal users, any action that causes tech to wear out more quickly is not a good idea.

That being said, you can also do the opposite of overclocking. Underclocking is telling a computer's processor to run slower than it's designed speed. This will increase component life but decrease processing power, and could be beneficial for companies that have new computers and don't need intensive computing resources.

Before you take any actions however, it is best to talk to us, as we may have a better solution for you and one that will cost less.

One of the most important tools of a modern marketing plan is social media. With the various platforms leveraged correctly, social media could be the best way to expand your brand and gain vital exposure. Pinterest, the newest major social network which all about sharing images, has recently had its layout overhauled and new features introduced. Businesses can really benefit from these enhancements.

Here's a brief overview of the new features introduced with Pinterest's recent layout changes.

How to get the new layout

Before you can use these features, it would be a good idea to upgrade to the new layout. While, like other social media services, this will be happening automatically over time. Unlike other platforms, the new layout is available for all users to switch to when they feel ready, however when you switch to the new layout, you will not be able to go back to the old one. Here's how you can switch:

1. Log in to Pinterest.
2. Hover your mouse over your profile/business name at the top-right of your profile.
3. Click Switch to the New Look.
4. Select Get it Now. Note: If you press this, you likely won't be able to switch back to the old layout.
5. Press Okay from the Welcome to your new look! pop-up window.

When the new layout loads, you'll notice that the pins are bigger, the category button has been moved to the left side of the profile beside the Search bar. You'll also notice that the comment button has been moved from the pins, you can access it by clicking on the image. On top of cosmetic changes, two useful functions that businesses will find beneficial.

Discovery

Now, when you look at an individual pin (click on the image), you will notice a number of changes.

• You can see all pins on the same board.
• You'll also see pins from the same website. For example if you pin something from a restaurant, you'll now see similar pins from the same website.
• Most importantly, you'll now be able to see what other people have pinned along with the same image.

This will make it easier for users to discover what other people are pinning. For your business this means potentially higher exposure. Think of this as something similar to the way Facebook works: If a person likes you, the chances of this like showing on their friend's profile, and that friend visiting your Page is higher. It's kind of like easy brand exposure.

Analytics

Arguably the most useful feature added recently is Pinterest Analytics, which allows you to see if your pins are being clicked on or shared, and the general success of your activities. This will go a long way in helping you determine the overall success of your Pinterest oriented efforts.

The main caveat with this is that your profile/business's website needs to be verified and connected with your profile. If you have an unofficial Pinterest account, you can change it to a business one by:

1. Logging into your Pinterest account and going to business.pinterest.com.
2. Pressing Convert your existing account and choose your type of business.
3. Entering the relevant account information like the name of your business, address and website.
4. Agreeing to the new Terms of Service.

If you would like to have a new username or account simply go to http://business.pinterest.com/ and press Join as a Business. You will be asked to set your account information, username, etc. You will need to verify your account which will involve you having to download a file and upload it to the server that hosts your website. We, or your web hoster can help you with that.

After your account is verified, you will notice that if you hover your mouse over your account name a drop-down list should pop up with Analytics being about half way down. Click on that to be taken to the section.

This section will display a bunch of graphs including:

• The number of daily pins and pinners on your site.
• The number of re-pins you have done.
• How many times your content has been repinned.
• The number of clicks and website visits.
• The most clicked and repinned pins.
• The number of times your pins have been seen.

Overall, Analytics is a useful tool that will give you a clear picture of what is working and what isn't. If you pinned a picture of a dog and noticed that it got zero pins while another got hundreds, it may be a good idea to create/look for more similar content.

If you are looking to integrate Pinterest into your business's social media strategy or would like or learn more about how to use the service, please contact us today.

 

Email has become the go-to communication medium for businesses of all sizes. It's not uncommon to see people emailing one another when they could just as easily talk. While it is incredibly popular, many emails are poorly written, leading to confusion and both parties having to take time out of their busy days to clarify. This can make you unproductive, and the best way to stop this is by writing good emails to begin with.

Here's six tips that can help ensure that the emails you send get your message across. By writing quality emails, you could see your productivity increase as you will have more time to do your work instead of clarifying sloppy emails.

1. Have a clear decision or action 99% of the emails you send are to ask someone to take an action, make a decision, reply etc. So, before you write any email pause for a minute and ask yourself: Why am I writing this and what do I want the recipient to do with this email?

If you can't provide a clear answer to these two questions, you may want to try contacting the recipient through another medium, or take some time to think and come up with an answer.

2. Write it backwards Once you know why you are writing your email, the actual writing becomes a lot easier. Because you will most likely be asking the recipient to do something, why not start with the request. Simply write down, in clear English, what you want done.

It's important to be as clear and direct as possible to avoid any confusion and potential follow up emails that will distract you. Once you have stated what you want, then you can provide justification to your request, or background information.

The reason this works is because many business owners/managers/employees are busy, they don't have time to read a whole report's worth of information that ends with a request. Most of the time they will just skip to the end anyways, so why not put the most important part - the action that you want them to take - at the beginning.

3. Use lists Many poorly written emails aren't actually poorly written. They are just formatted in an inefficient manner. In most English classes, students are taught to develop their ideas or arguments through logical paragraphs, while having only one point to each paragraph. Pause for a minute and think: If you get an email asking you to make a decision on what product to buy with five paragraphs each talking about a benefit or reason, would you actually read the whole email? Chances are the answer is no.

To be more efficient, break your ideas/reasons/arguments into a list. You can usually summarize the majority of main ideas of each paragraph into a single sentence. This makes them easier for you and the recipient to read.

4. KISS We don't mean you should kiss your monitor. In this context, KISS stands for Keep It Simple and Straightforward. You shouldn't have long essays or arguments with lots of padding. Get to the point immediately and provide the essential information.

If you find yourself writing an essay or long report, email is not the medium you should be using. Instead put your thoughts into a word document that you attach to the email. In the email itself put a brief overview along with the most important points and tell your recipient to check the attachment for more information.

5. Have a relevant subject line The subject of your email is like the title of a report or news article. Without a solid subject, the chances of your email being opened and read are low. It would be a good idea to write your whole email first, then the subject.

A good subject line can A) Interest the recipient enough to get them to open it and B) Provide enough insight so the reader can infer what you want. If you look over a subject line of an email you are about to send and see that it doesn't make sense or reference the email itself, it would be a good idea to re-write it.

6. Proofread everything This may make sense now, but we are all guilty of writing an email and pressing send without reading the content over. Once you hit send, the damage is done, you won't be able to get the email back. That's why it's a good idea to read over your email after you finish.

You should look for any obvious spelling and grammar errors along with ensuring that the content makes sense. If you think it's ok, then you can probably go ahead and send it. If you are the least bit hesitant, walk away from it for a few minutes then come back and read over it again. You will likely be able to see a couple of changes.

There are many options at your disposal that allow you to enhance your and your company's productivity. Contact us today to see how our systems can help.

When it comes to operating a business, you are always walking a fine line, trying to balance costs and profits. This means you are probably eager to cut costs whenever possible. One area that has likely demanded a large investment is technology. The problem with technology is that it can be hard to keep costs at bay, especially when it breaks down.

Here are five ways you can reduce IT spending.

Backup everything If your business is like most other small to medium companies, the majority of your important files are located on one server or maybe a couple of computers. Technology doesn't last forever and the machine where you have your data stored on will eventually stop working.

When it does, you will have to replace it, and your files that were on it could be lost. The cost to recover them will be high. To minimize this risk, you should invest in a solid backup platform that runs on a regular basis.

Yes, this will cost money now, but would you rather have a copy of your systems and data from Yesterday which can be easily implemented when you have a problem, or would you like to pay to maybe recover year's worth of data? Backups will save you costs in the long-run, not to mention the stress they will help you avoid.

Have a strict anti virus policy The idea that your employees won't download programs or browser extensions simply because you tell them not to is like telling a child not to eat candy; they are still going to do it. By simply having computers and devices accessing the Internet through your network, you are at risk. If your systems are hacked or infected, you can face lost data, high recovery costs or worse.

How do you minimize the chance of malware infections and the risk of being hacked? Antivirus software and security solutions installed on every computer that can be run from one machine are your answer. This makes it easier for you or your IT partner to ensure all of your systems' antivirus software is up to date and scanning when it should be. This will minimize the chance of infection and keep costs down.

Document everything As your company grows, you will start to use more technology. Over time, it will need to be replaced, and you likely won't be able to afford replacing all your systems at once. This means that you will have to track down the systems, software, etc. that need to be replaced; which will take time and cost you money.

If you take steps to document all of your systems, computers, software, etc.; where it's located; when it was implemented; who is in charge of it, etc., you will be able to track things down quickly when needed, thus managing your systems better. This time saving measure will cut your costs.

Look into a CRM/ERP/HRM solution There are so many software solutions out there that can help you plan and run your operations. If you've been tracking employee data or planning using a simple spreadsheet, you could be getting more out of a tailored solution.

Solutions like Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Relationship Management (CRM) or even Human Resources Management (HRM) can help you spot hidden costs or even plan more efficiently, which will reduce costs well into the future.

Look for fixed-price solutions A major problem with all technology related systems is that predicting costs is nearly impossible. You simply don't know when/if an important piece of hardware will fail. This becomes even harder if you don't have expertise in tech.

One of the best ways to save money on IT costs is to outsource. Almost every IT provider offers flat-rate services that cover your systems and can ensure you maximize your IT investment. This makes budgeting for IT easier, as you know what your monthly costs will be. You can then focus on your business, and over time will see a decrease in IT costs.

If you are looking to cut your IT expenses, why not contact us. We may have a solution that will ease the budget burden.

Imagine you've been out of town on a business trip for a few days and when you finally get home after a long day of traveling, you reach for your trusty iPhone to check in with the office... only to find that the screen is black. Pressing the Power button does nothing. What do you do? We certainly hope your answer isn't 'throw it against the wall' as there are a number of things that you can try.

Here are four things you can try when your iPhone won't turn on.

1. Charge it with a wall charger One of the main reasons your iPhone won't start is because its battery is dead. Before you deem the battery 'dead', you should check if the phone is on. Press and hold the power button for up to five seconds. Chances are, the phone has just gone to sleep. If this is the case, you should see the unlock screen pop-up after a few seconds.

If it doesn't pop up, your phone is likely dead. All you have to do is plug it in, preferably to a wall charger. Your phone should turn on automatically after a few minutes (up to five). If it doesn't, let it charge for around 15 minutes before trying to turn it on. If it does turn on, it would be a good idea to let it fully charge.

2. It's charged but still won't turn on Like all operating systems, the one on the iPhone will crash from time to time. If it does crash, you shouldn't lose any data unless you were in the middle of downloading or uploading files. These will have to be started again.

If pressing the power button doesn't turn the phone on, you should still plug it in and let it charge for 15 minutes. Then conduct what's called a hard reset:

1. Unplug your device.
2. Press the Home and Power buttons for 10-20 seconds until you see the Apple logo.
3. Let the device run for a minute or so and you should be able to use it again.

It would be a good idea to not do this while the phone is connected to your computer.Your computer may recognize your phone's hard drive and start automatically syncing through iTunes. Doing a hard reset when the device is syncing may result in losing information.

3. A hard reset won't work Another good thing to consider at this stage is switching cords. Chances are someone next to you has another iPhone cable. Borrow it and try the first two steps again. These cables aren't the most damage resistant thing in the world and have been known to wear out or fray at weak points rendering them useless. If you were trying to charge your phone through a wall charger, try again but this time connect it to your computer - make sure it's on.

4. It's truly dead If after trying different cables and charging methods, hard resetting and charging for a couple of hours your device still won't turn on, you have one option left. Go to an Apple store, or reseller. They may be able to get your iPhone working, or at the very least will to confirm the problem.

Sometimes the phones display a USB cord with an arrow pointing to the iTunes icon. This is your iPhone's way of telling you that something has gone wrong with the software and it needs to be plugged into your computer and connected to iTunes. If you see this, you will likely have to reset your phone which means you will lose everything stored on the hard drive. If you have been backing up your phone, however, your data loss will be minimal.

Has your iPhone stopped working? Are you unsure if your backup solutions are enough to keep all of your files safe? Contact us today as we may be able to help.

Communication is an important part of business, and one of the more popular communication mediums is Facebook. It's hard to find a business that doesn't use the platform. If you have been using Facebook since its launch you will know that there are occasional changes that sometimes make it better, others worse. The company has recently announced changes to the layout of your News Feed - are they any good?

Here's an overview of the new changes introduced in Facebook's News Feed overhaul.

Bigger, more engaging content The biggest, most obvious change is that the new News Feed is wider. That's because the menu bar that traditionally has taken up the left-hand side of the window has been more or less removed. It's now a hovering bar that can collapse to the left-side of the screen. If you've seen the recent Android and iPad/iPhone layout, where you can press a button to see your friends menu, it's similar to that.

Because of the new layout, the content shown on the feed is now larger. This means larger images, news stories, events and maps. To better take advantage of this, it is recommended that any images you upload to your profile be around 600X600 pixels - no smaller than 200X200 pixels.

There is another change that could pose useful: When a friend or local business appears on a user's wall, they will see the entire Timeline badge and location if they have allowed it.

New feeds To get the most out the new layout, Facebook has also introduced a number of new News Feeds to explore. Before we get into the new feeds, it would pay to talk about how Facebook has become smarter. Over time, as you comment on posts or share items, Facebook will start to show recommendations based on your past activity. For example if you are sharing news about cloud storage, you will begin to see suggestions around other cloud storage posts, articles or programs that could interest you.

This new layout comes with a few different feeds that can help filter the content you see. The announced feeds are:

• Music - Shows you posts related to the music you listen to. This likely won't be the most useful for the majority of companies out there.
• Photos - Displays only photos that have been uploaded by friends or pages you like. This could be important, especially if you have a visual based profile e.g., restaurants. Because of this new feed, it would be a good idea to ensure you are sharing high-quality images.
• Following - The latest news and information from Pages that you have liked. This feed could be quite interesting to companies, as it only shows Facebook Pages. What this means for most Page owners is that they had better be sharing good content, as they just became more visible.
• All Friends - Shows the traditional News Feed namely everything your friends and Pages you have liked are sharing and commenting on.
• Close Friends - This is a bit of a dangerous view for companies, as it will only show information posted by their friends. All business and ad-related content is not shown.

The same views across all platforms Finally, Facebook has noted that with this new layout, the News Feed will be the same across all devices. No more looking at a completely different News Feed on your phone or tablet. This is a good move, and should increase your company's exposure over time.

If you access Facebook on your mobile phone - Android or iPhone/iPad - you have likely seen the new changes, as the apps were updated in mid March and included the new mobile version of the News Feed. The company started rolling out the new layout on March 7 and has noted that the change will take place over a couple of months. Some lucky users may even have it now.

Looking forward to the new changes? Or, perhaps you are a little apprehensive? Why not contact us today to see how we can help you get the most out of any change Facebook introduces.

With technology advancing at such a rapid pace, it is hard for small and medium businesses to keep up with the new software and computers. One tech trend that has enabled users to get more out of their existing hardware is virtualization. A cool thing about virtualization is that it enables users to access their desktops from nearly anywhere, including their mobile devices. VMware has recently introduced a new feature that makes mobile access of a Windows desktop even better.

In mid-March, VMware announced Unity Touch, an app that allows users to view, open, run and manage Windows files and applications on their Android and iOS devices.

What exactly is Unity Touch This app takes your existing Windows desktop and makes it more manageable and easier to use on mobile devices. This feature is part of the Horizon View offering from VMware which allows administrators to virtualize the desktop environment, and users to access their desktop from anywhere.

Unity Touch takes Horizon View desktops and makes them easier to use on a touchscreen device. When it's introduced, you will be able to log in to your desktop and access your files and applications.

How does Unity Touch improve desktop access on mobile devices? One of the most important parts of the Windows environment is the Start menu. It's what the majority of users use to access their files and run applications. On mobile devices that connect to a virtual desktop, space is limited, so having a full start menu just doesn't cut it. This app essentially makes the Start menu an 'app drawer' on the left-hand side of your screen - think of any screen where you can select apps on your mobile device.

There's a little tab, located in the middle part of the left-hand side of the screen that you can press to bring up a list of files and apps that you can scroll through. This list also functions as a kind of launch center where you can switch between open programs, close them or even manage files.

Will my business find it useful? If you travel lots, or have to be away from your computer and don't want to carry a laptop with you, this could be a solution for you. You do need to have a VMware Horizon View Desktop version 5.2, the Horizon View Client 2.0 installed on your mobile device, as well as an Android, iPad or iPhone.

If you are interested in accessing your desktop from a mobile device, contact us today. We can work with you to develop a solution.

The whole idea of a tablet is that it is mobile, you can take it everywhere. In order to make the tablet as mobile as possible, tablets like the iPad can be bought with the ability to connect to wireless networks. This has proven to be a popular feature, however you need to sign up for a separate data plan. The question is, how do you know which one?

Here's two ways you can figure out the areas covered by various wireless providers so you can get the most out of your data connection on your iPad.

Within the USA If you live in the US, you can install an app called Coverage. This app is a map of the United States that shows the network coverage of the major network providers - AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile.

When you install and open the app, you will be presented with a map and a panel where you can search for cities or your current location. You can also select which networks to show. The map covers all of the US including Hawaii, Alaska, US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, which makes it ideal for business users who travel throughout the US.

Because this app doesn't require an Internet connection, the data isn't 100% accurate, but from tests, it looks to be accurate enough for most users. USD$2.99 from iTunes.

Rest of the world If you aren't in the US, don't worry. Check out OpenSignal, a website that keeps an up-to-date map of wireless coverage around the world. You can search for 2G, 3G and 4G signal strength using an address or by selecting a country and city.

The map displays what OpenSignal calls a heat map - it's the signal strength in the area you are looking at. It will also show the NetworkRank based on the strongest signal of the providers. For example, select Sydney as your city and Australia as your country, and zoom into the North Sydney. You'll see that the map is covered in a haze that goes from blue to red. Blue indicates weak signal strength, while red represents strong. You'll also notice that Telstra Mobile is the strongest provider in this area.

This site can help you pinpoint which carrier to go with, based on your local area. It is also a good way to see if your provider has signal where you may be travelling.

A word of warning If you do have a data plan for your iPad, and plan to be traveling outside of your current location, it would be a good idea to consult the map or OpenSignal before you leave. There has been many stories of iPad users leaving their data plan on while traveling out of state or country, and receiving shockingly high mobile bills.

This is because if you leave your iPad connected to Data, it will connect to any compatible network e.g., AT&T users in the US will automatically connect to Rogers Wireless if they go to Canada. This is commonly referred to as roaming, and many networks charge extra for this. When traveling, it may be a good idea to just turn off your iPad's data connection.

You can turn your data connection off by:

1. Opening your iPad's Settings app by pressing the icon with the gears.
2. Tapping on Cellular Data which will be located on the right-hand menu bar.
3. Sliding the bar beside Cellular Data to Off.

If you are looking to integrate the iPad into your business, and would like help setting it up, please contact us today.

Presentations containing charts and graphs are a part of every business - some managers give presentations on a daily or weekly basis, while others do it once in a blue moon. The tool most business owners use to create and deliver presentations is Microsoft's PowerPoint. While PowerPoint is great, it isn't exactly easy to put a chart or graph into any presentation, or is it?

Here's how you can take data from spreadsheets in Excel and turn it into graphs and charts in PowerPoint.

Before you start

Before you can transfer data from Excel, you should take a look at the spreadsheet. If you have a ton of data and only want to take a certain chunk to make your graph, it would be best to copy and paste it into a new Excel workbook. This way, you can get the data from Excel to PowerPoint easily and turn into a graph or chart.

The key idea here is that you don't want to do a data-dump - putting every single number, most of which could be useless - into a slide. You want to take only the most relevant information from the spreadsheet. It's easiest to do this on a slide-by-slide basis, after you have setup the presentation outline. Copy the information only pertaining to that one slide. If you're not sure whether it will be useful or not, it likely isn't, so don't take it.

Create the graph/chart

Once you have only the data you are going to need for the chart, you can switch over to PowerPoint and go to the slide where you will put the chart. This can be done by:

1. Clicking on the slide's body field - where you enter the main text of the slide, below the title.
2. Selecting the Insert tab from the top of the screen and clicking on Insert Chart. Note: This will only work if the slide's layout supports Content. To change the layout of the slide, right-click on it and select Layout, then pick one that says Content.
3. Choosing the type of graph that's relevant to your data from the window that pops up and pressing OK.
4. Deleting the information in the dummy Excel spreadsheet that comes up by left-clicking and dragging over the content. It will be highlighted and pressing Delete will get rid of it.
5. Copying and pasting the information from the Excel spreadsheet you setup earlier into the window in PowerPoint. Be sure to click on A1 before you paste it.
6. Renaming the chart by double-clicking on the title above the cells.

You can click back to the slide to look at the chart. Often times the data will be opposite. For example, the date will show on the X axis, when it should be on the Y. If you click on the chart, and select Switch Row/Column in the ribbon above the slide, you will be able to re-arrange the information.

Time to format

It's highly unlikely that the graph you placed into the slide is formatted the way you want, or even optimized for your audience. Here are four tips to help you format it so it not only looks good, but can be seen when you give your presentation.

1. Don't get too flashy - Yes, there are a large number and variety of charts available. No, they are not all good for presentations. It's best to pick a simple layout - stick with the classics: Pie, Bar and Line. Don't pick 3-D charts as they are hard to read and can confuse the audience. Also pick colors that can be seen. For example, light green, yellow, grey, etc. can hardly be seen on most projectors.
2. Use big text - It may look big enough on your screen, but you can be sure it isn't going to be big enough for your audience. Use the biggest font size possible, and limit any explanation text.
3. Remove Gridlines - But Gridlines make it easier to determine amounts don't they? Yes, on reports. But this isn't a report, it's a presentation, so it's ok to be general. Gridlines will just confuse your audience, and make graphs look cramped. Remove them by clicking on any grid line in the middle of the graph, and pressing Delete on your keyboard.
4. Test it - Before you give the presentation, it would be a good idea to test the presentation on a screen that is similar to the size you will be presenting on. If that's not possible, get a colleague to look over it. They will likely be able to point some changes out - if need be.

Having attractive graphs in your presentations can go a long way in keeping your audience engaged, and it could increase the chances of your message sinking in. If you would like to learn more about how you can leverage PowerPoint or any of Microsoft's other programs in your office, please contact us today.

The computer is one of the most important inventions of the past century. While it is a magnificent machine, most users treat their computers like a black box. We know how to use it, but little do we know about what is inside. It's these components that allow us to communicate, run businesses and yes, even surf Facebook. As such, it could be beneficial to know a little bit about the internal workings of the modern computer.

Here's a basic overview of the seven essential hardware components of the modern computer that businesses rely on. These components are found in nearly every computer, and now many tablets and smartphones too.

1. Motherboard Think of the motherboard as the backbone of nearly any technological device. It holds all the major components of the computer, including the hard drive, processor, memory and peripheral ports like the USB. Most motherboards in computers, and to some extent laptops, are called expandable. This means that you can replace components as long as they are compatible. For example, you can take out a hard drive and replace it with another that has more storage capacity.

If you can't take parts out, you may see the term mainboard used. This term is usually applied to devices like TVs, washing machines, refrigerators, and so on.

2. Networking cards Networking cards, or network interfacing cards, may be separate cards or integrated into the motherboard. Their purpose is to provide a way for your computer to connect to the network and Internet.

Many new computers will have the network card integrated into the motherboard, along with other components. If you own a laptop, you can connect to Wi-Fi networks through a Wi-Fi card which is usually close to the outer edges of the device. Most desktops don't have this card, but you can purchase them if you want to be able to connect to Wi-Fi.

3. Graphics card A graphics or video card can come in two varieties - integrated or expansion. An integrated video card is connected directly to the motherboard and is usually found as a part of the processor. An expansion video card is a separate card that is connected to another part of the motherboard called an expansion port. The job of the video card is to create the graphics and images that can be shown on a monitor. Without one of these, we would not be able to visualize the data, and computers would be useless.

4. Processor The processor - also known as a Central Processing Unit or CPU - is the brain of the computer. Its job is to carry out the instructions of computer programs that are stored in the computer's memory.

The speed of a processor is measured in MHz or Megahertz. This measurement indicates how fast a processor can read electrical pulses. For example, a 100MHz processor can read 100,000,000 pulses of light in one second. As a reference, most mid to high-range computers have processors with speeds around 3.0GHz.

5. Hard drive The hard drive is where programs and files are stored. More traditional drives are called Hard Disk Drives (HDD) and are comprised of a series of magnetized disks which store the data. These disks spin under a magnetic arm which can read and write data.

Newer hard drives are called Solid-state Drives (SSD) and use electrical circuits to store data. These are much faster than traditional HDDs and are starting to be found in more and more computers.

6. USB ports The Universal Serial Bus, or USB, is a standard that covers a certain type of cable, connectors and communication. It is a standard way for computer components like mice, keyboards, phones, etc. to be connected to the computer. Nearly everything that is not a physical part of the motherboard or internal computer is connected using a USB connection.

The cool thing about the USB is not only does it allow you to use your computer as a communication device, but it also allows the connected device to draw electrical power from the computer, essentially transforming your computer into an electrical outlet. That's why you can charge your phone, or run an external hard drive simply by plugging it into your computer's USB port. This standard has become so popular that many computers now come with multiple ports - some with as many as eight!

7. Monitor ports Computers are great, but without monitors, they would be largely useless for everyday use. Monitors come in many sizes and varieties. Newer monitors can connect to your computer through HDMI or VGA ports. HDMI - High-Definition Multimedia Interface - is a newer format that can display high-definition images, while VGA - Video Graphics Array - is typically found in older monitors.

As technology advances, you will see fewer VGA monitors and connections in use, with many manufacturers offering monitors that only use HDMI.

This was just a basic overview of the essential components of a computer, if you would like to learn more about the machine you use on a daily basis, please contact us. We would be happy to sit down with you and give you a more detailed tour of the inside of your computer.