Here's a message to our clients and colleagues from our CEO, Chris Cummings, regarding Petra Technologies' response to COVID-19. Chris also discusses tips for helping your own employees work from home during this time. Including: Remote secure access solution Video conferencing recommendations Environment and equipment We appreciate your business and look forward to helping your business continue running as smoothly as possible. Do you need help to make sure your business’ can continue to run smoothly through remote working? Contact us today!

Get your Roadhouse to go! Did someone say Tennessee Wraps??

First of all, I hope you, your loved ones, and your team members are safe during these unprecedented times. I picked up our son at the airport Friday night after his university closed in-person classes. On the way home, we talked about the history that we are all witnessing. While we can and should do our part, we cannot give in to fear of the what-ifs.  Isaiah 41:10 tells us to "Fear Not, for I AM with you." While everything that is happening is hard to understand, I believe we can rest in this promise. Whether we share the same beliefs or not, we CAN support and care for each other. Call and check in with your neighbors. Offer an encouraging message or practical help. Buy a gift card from a local restaurant. Treat retail workers with…

With intangible products or services like the internet or managed IT, it can sometimes be difficult to know which services are doing what. Just like a car dashboard can give you a high-level visual representation of what's going on with your car (check engine light!) we use helpful dashboards to monitor IT situations for our clients' businesses. Dashboards help us to be more efficient and effective when solving IT problems. Dashboards are used to measure and to provide statistics that drive results.Chris Cummings, CEO of Petra Technologies Do you need help to make sure your business' IT security is up to date? Contact us today!

If you’re a small business owner, you undoubtedly know that your online presence is critical to your success in this day and age. So does growing reliance on technology mean that small business owners should focus solely on online methods and ditch those traditional in-person marketing tactics that, if we’re being honest, make us cringe? The answer is “no.” The reality is that ‘old school’ marketing techniques - you know…actually meeting and talking with people - are still important. Although harder to master and prone to awkwardness, your in-person persona is equally critical to your brand as online marketing is. Here are 7 tips to help you do it right. #1 Write and Memorize Your Elevator Pitch There’s no doubt that you need to sell your b…

You are about to login to your online banking portal when a notification pops up: "Confirm it's you. We'll send you a text message with a verification code to (***) ***-3563". While this may seem unnecessary and annoying on the surface, your bank is trying to protect you from fraud. This is called two-factor authentication. In this week's video, Chris explains two-factor and multi-factor authentication for online accounts and why it's important to have extra protections in place. Do you need help make sure your business IT security is up to date? Contact us today!

If you think we are a broken record about ransomware, you would be right! We've previously answered the question "What is ransomware?" and have discussed some of the tactics used by hackers to infect businesses with ransomware, but what about just visiting websites? The websites you or your employees visit to conduct business might not be as secure as you think. Small businesses stand a higher chance of [ransomware] infection due to inadequate protection policies.Chris Cummings, CEO of Petra Technologies Chris gives us the latest updates you need to know to keep your business secure. Do you need help protecting your business against ransomware attacks in Salem Oregon? Contact us today!

Analyzing the costs of doing business go beyond simple line items like "annual salary" and "electricity." When it comes to running your business efficiently there are more factors to consider. Here are a few examples: Does your in-house IT department spend time being reactive or proactive?If you have a technology-related problem, are you dead in the water when someone is on vacation?Does your great IT employee just need a little more support but you can't afford a new hire? The "soft cost" does not show up as the cost of IT labor or products. The soft cost includes higher costs of the current [business'] process spread across all the staff.Chris Cummings, CEO of Petra Technologies Are you ready to learn about how managed IT or co-managed IT…

What is the cost versus the value of investing in managed IT? While this might seem like a service to "splurge" on, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Managed IT doesn't only save you money; it also provides an enormous amount of value to your business. What is managed IT (information technology)? It's a company that provides experienced technical staff to provide the best in class network security, computer management, vendor management (like voice over IP, line of business applications, printers), and user support.Chris Cummings, CEO of Petra Technologies Today, Chris walks through the cost vs. benefits of managed IT services. Are you ready to invest in managed IT for your business? Request a quote today!

It can be easy to interchange security and privacy when you are talking about your personal or business data. Do you know the difference? The bottom line is that you want your private information secure.Chris Cummings, CEO of Petra Technologies Today Chris talks about the differences between security and privacy and the importance of both. Do you have security and/or privacy concerns when it comes to your business' sensitive data? Contact Petra Technologies today!

Acronyms like "VoIP" can sound like a weird name from Star Wars - but it's really just a simpler way to reference a technical term. VoIP, or "voice over internet protocol," is an option you should consider when upgrading your business phone technology. VoIP technology allows a lot more flexibility over landlines. Landlines can lock you into a building, and VoIP allows you to go anywhere you want to go.Chris Cummings, CEO of Petra Technologies In this week's video, Chris shares some of the advantages of using a VoIP system for your business! Are you interested in exploring a VoIP phone system for your office? Contact Petra Technologies today!

We've all felt the frustration of losing our work on a computer. Maybe it was due to an innocent mistake, like clicking out of a document before saving, or maybe you've had the unfortunate experience of being infected by ransomware. Either way, having a backup of your data is one of the best strategies you can have to protect you and your customers from data loss. Backup is your first, last, and best defense against everything from hardware and software failure to infection, accidental deletion, or any other form of disaster. Petra Technologies In this video, Chris explains three different kinds of backups and why you may want one or more in place for your business. Does your business need a backup strategy for your data? Contact Petra Tech…

It can be exciting to upgrade items in your home to make everything more convenient and connected. Who doesn't want to sit on their couch while controlling the lights, temperature, and sounds of the environment? But did you know your smart light bulbs could be compromised? That a stranger could control your recently-installed smart thermostat? That your home security system could be a gateway for hackers? All of these devices have one thing in common: they are all part of the Internet of Things. Having some security on these [smart] devices is still truly important, even if you have it in a home network. Chris Cummings, CEO of Petra Technologies Chris shares three tips about the Internet of Things and how to keep your smart devices secure.…

Have you ever clicked a link and immediately knew something was wrong? You're not alone! Many of us have clicked the wrong link or have gone to the wrong site and been inundated with inappropriate pictures, multiple popups, or dare I say it, the blue screen of death. When it comes to business IT, Petra Technologies has a strategy to help you before, during, and after a tech-related blunder. Does your business have the assurance that a rock solid IT company could provide?  Contact us today!

Emails are an everyday staple in business life, which means it's easy to carelessly click a link or send a file through an unsecured channel. These thoughtless actions can leave your company susceptible to data breaches and the liability that goes with it. Chris Cummings, CEO of Petra Technologies, shares three ways you can keep your emails secure and your business running smoothly. Do you need help securing your emails? Contact us today!

Today, information is everything. We've already talked about what ransomware is, but do you know about the new methods hackers are using? While some hackers may specifically target your business, it's more likely you'll be a victim of a wider attack. If you're a small business or if you're a big business, you have this responsibility ⁠— if you are going to be on the Internet, you have to have some defenses up.Chris Cummings, CEO of Petra Technologies Chris provides a public service announcement about ransomware's latest strategies to steal your information. Don't let ransomware stop your business in its tracks. Contact us today!

If you think antivirus is "good enough" for your business networks, think again. Antivirus does fulfill a purpose, but it's not the only tool you need to protect your network. Unlike antivirus, which quarantines the bad stuff after it reaches your computer, this is what's actually taking care of the filtering before it even gets into your network. So this is really important in business networks to make sure they are safe. Chris Cummings, CEO of Petra Technologies, Inc. Chris Cummings explains what a next generation firewall is and why your business needs it. Does your business need a next generation firewall set up? Contact us today!

Let us help your business get found by more qualified prospects! We've been working on the search engine optimization for The Wax Room Salem of Salem, Oregon. The client has two major competitors nearby that HAD been surpassing her business in search rankings. Now, The Wax Room Salem outranks her competition for several keywords and she is staying very busy doing what she loves to do. When she first contacted us about optimizing her website for improved search results Teea told us that she had been doing her own search engine optimization. She told us that between the learning about SEO and the implementation she felt like she had a second job - one which was necessary but not her area of genius. Teea really enjoys body waxing. She says "I…

When it comes to running a business, it is important to consider all points of security. You wouldn't leave your office doors unlocked for intruders to walk in after hours, so why would you let your devices be vulnerable? "End point" is a computer, server, or another device that is connected to the network.Chris Cummings, CEO of Petra Technologies, Inc. In this video, Chris discusses the three components of end point security and explains what you can do to protect your business from potentially malicious files or data. Does your business need help with your end point security? Contact us today!

If you have been around the business world for any length of time, you've probably heard of SaaS—an acronym standing for "software as a service." But have you heard of HaaS? SECaaS? ITaaS? Chris gives quick definitions for each service and explains why each might be a good fit for your business. Are you struggling to manage your business' technology needs? Contact us today!

Using, creating, and forgetting passwords is an unavoidable part of life. Everything from your grocery store rewards card to your medical insurance provider need passwords, and it can be difficult to keep them all straight. All too often I walk through offices and people are just putting passwords on post-it notes and they tend to just have them [out in the open] plain as day.Chris Cummings, CEO of Petra Technologies, Inc. With so many aspects of our personal and financial lives being online or digital, it becomes increasingly important to protect the security of your passwords. In this video, Chris shares two easy tips for managing your passwords. Do you need help keeping your passwords secure at your place of business? Contact u…