The Connection, Inc Blog

The Connection, Inc has been serving the New Jersey area since 1992, providing IT Support such as technical helpdesk support, computer support and consulting to small and medium-sized businesses.

3 Cool Technology-Related TV Shows

3 Cool Technology-Related TV Shows

The use of technology is one of the things that brings most people together. For the past couple of decades people have depended more and more on technology as a way to manage their lives, socialize, and get the goods and services they choose to purchase. This has led to the development of a lot of solid technology-related television shows. In this week’s blog, we thought we would take a look at three shows that cover multiple genres that are solid viewing for the technology enthusiast. 

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You’re Not Too Small for Enterprise-Level Software, But You are Too Big for Consumer-Based Software

You’re Not Too Small for Enterprise-Level Software, But You are Too Big for Consumer-Based Software

Software makes business run: that is an undeniable statement. From the operations software that allows your business to manage and pay its people to the CRM that provides a pathway to communicate efficiently with customers, to all of the applications that it takes to conduct business in earnest, software plays a crucial role in your business’ success. 

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Are Magnets Really Bad for a Computer?

Are Magnets Really Bad for a Computer?

Magnets are often portrayed as the bane of technology’s existence, especially in media where data must be scrubbed from devices through the use of a magnet. How true is this representation of the relationship between magnets and technology? We’ll examine this in today’s blog article.

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Tip of the Week: Easily Close Browser Tabs

Tip of the Week: Easily Close Browser Tabs

It’s easy to open up far more tabs on your web browser than you need, especially when so many tools are cloud-based. If you find yourself in need of a quick way to close all other tabs besides a handful or so, we’ve got just the tip for you. You can close all open tabs to the right of your preferred window, or you can close all tabs outright.

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Get Busy Setting Your Business Up for Success

Get Busy Setting Your Business Up for Success

Regularly, when a business is searching for ways to move their operations forward, there is a little hand wringing on how to do so. Every decision your business has to make comes with a price tag, and the more that you can do without spending a lot of money, the more value you are going to see. For this week’s blog, we thought we’d take a look at some actions you can take with your technology to ensure that your business is going in the right direction.

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Tip of the Week: Keep Your Computer Working Effectively with These 5 Tips

Tip of the Week: Keep Your Computer Working Effectively with These 5 Tips

Computers allow businesses to do so much, but eventually a time comes to purchase new hardware. Thankfully, you can stave off this need pretty well by simply taking care of your existing technology. Here are some tips you can implement to make sure that your computer lasts as long as possible before it kicks the bucket.

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Broken Computer? Do These Things Before Taking It to the Shop

Broken Computer? Do These Things Before Taking It to the Shop

Try as we might, we can’t prevent all computer issues from occurring—for instance, there’s not much that we can do if a stick of RAM dies, at least, not remotely. However, if you’re stuck with a broken computer and need to bring it in for repair work, there are a few things we recommend you do.

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Tip of the Week: Easy Windows 10 Screenshots

Tip of the Week: Easy Windows 10 Screenshots

There is one key on the keyboard that might seem a little odd: PrtScn. It’s not immediately obvious what this key does or why you would want to use it, but we assure you that it is an extremely helpful keyboard shortcut once you understand how it works and why you might want to try it out. In reality, the PrtScn key (on some keyboards it might just be PrtSc) is important for taking screenshots on your Windows device.

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Where Does Your Recycled Technology Go?

Where Does Your Recycled Technology Go?

Businesses go through a lot of technology, but how does your organization dispose of electronics that are no longer in use? Let’s discuss this incredibly important topic, as the improper disposal of devices could not only put your organization at risk, but also the environment.

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The Global Chip Shortage is Currently Hindering Many Industries

The Global Chip Shortage is Currently Hindering Many Industries

Using microprocessor-based technology is now a way of life for a majority of people, and with that a massive demand is created for these components. Unfortunately, demand—as well as the COVID-19 pandemic—has caused difficulties for many organizations’ supply chains, including microprocessors. Today, we will go through the microchip shortage, how it affects consumers and when experts project that it will subside. 

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What is a Botnet, and Why Is It Dangerous?

What is a Botnet, and Why Is It Dangerous?

Have you ever wondered how hackers manage to pull off incredible feats like bombarding networks and servers with so much traffic that they simply cannot function? None of this would be possible if not for botnets. But what is a botnet, and why is it important for your organization to understand? Let’s dive into the details.

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3 Easy Actions Every Employee Can Do to Keep Their Computer Clean

3 Easy Actions Every Employee Can Do to Keep Their Computer Clean

Regular computer maintenance is part of maintaining healthy IT infrastructure, but one aspect that can often go by the wayside is keeping your computer physically clean. By this, we mean keeping it dust-free, clean and tidy. We’ve put together a shortlist of everyday actions that employees of any caliber can use to keep their workstations clean. This will help your organization take preventative measures over time and (hopefully) prolong the lifespan of your business’ technology.

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The Global Chip Shortage a Real Problem for Many

The Global Chip Shortage a Real Problem for Many

With such a heavy focus on remote work over the past year or so, if you have tried to procure equipment or technology solutions during this period, you may have noticed that it is much harder than usual to do so. The global chip shortage has led to many challenges for organizations, chief among them getting the parts needed to put together critical technology solutions. This opens up a whole other set of issues, though, particularly in regards to disruption of the supply chain.

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Tip of the Week: The ABCs of Windows Shortcuts

Tip of the Week: The ABCs of Windows Shortcuts

Windows has no shortage of capabilities to offer its users, with many of these tools coming with an associated Windows shortcut. Since keeping track of all of them can be a challenge, we wanted to assemble a list of most of them for you. This blog will serve as that list, so make sure you add it to your browser’s favorites for quick reference!

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The Power Button is Capable of More Than On/Off

The Power Button is Capable of More Than On/Off

If you’ve ever used technology, the power button has had a pretty consistent appearance, and an even more consistent use. However, there’s a reason that the power symbol we’re so familiar with looks the way it does. Furthermore, there’s more that the power button can ultimately do.

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More Than 70 Percent of PCs Run Windows 10

More Than 70 Percent of PCs Run Windows 10

Ever since Windows 10 debuted in July of 2015, it has slowly risen in its market share. This has continued throughout the tumultuous times that 2020 has provided, as the OS has now reached a market share of 72.2 percent as of October. Let’s go over why this matters, and why—if you haven’t done so yet—you need to add your organization’s PCs to that number.

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Tip of the Week: 1GB, 2GB, 4GB or More - How Much RAM Do You Actually Need?

Tip of the Week: 1GB, 2GB, 4GB or More - How Much RAM Do You Actually Need?

You can tell when a workstation might need an upgrade if it’s slowing down, or if the machine is so absurdly slow that you can barely accomplish your daily tasks with it. One of the easiest ways you can improve the quality of your workstation is by increasing the amount of RAM.


RAM, or Random Access Memory, is one major factor that can contribute to how much you can do with your workstation or server at any given time. Here’s what you can do with various amounts of RAM commonly found in PCs.

1GB: Literally Nothing but the Basics
The minimum requirement for the 32-bit Windows 10 operating system is 1GB of RAM, though it’s obviously not recommended that you run it like this. 1GB is barely enough for basic functionality like web browsing, word processing, and checking your email, but you can’t expect it to run well. Also with only 1GB of RAM, you can forget about photo and video editing. 1GB isn’t even passable for a consumer PC. Most machines these days house somewhere between 4-8GB of RAM. In fact, most smartphones and tablets have more than 1GB.

2GB: Not Enough to Get Much Done
2GB is the minimum system requirement for the 64-bit version of Windows 10; as such, it’s still recommended that you run more RAM than this. 2GB is enough to get some work done, like running your productivity suite and having plenty of open browser tabs, but you’ll still be held back significantly in terms of running more powerful software solutions.

4GB: A Major Improvement
Here’s where you start to see some significant improvements in functionality. You’ll find that you can run more applications at the same time, allowing for greater productivity. Plus, your software will run much faster in general, cutting down on frustration and making it easier to get work done. 4GB is considered a benchmark for a low-end office PC.

Keep in mind that a 32-bit operating system on a 4GB machine will only be able to access about 3.2GB. When using a 64-bit operating system, you’ll have access to the whole 4GB (and higher). It’s also important to remember that the 32-bit version of Windows 10 has a 4GB RAM limit - the 64-bit versions require more RAM to run properly.

8GB: Now We’re Talking
If you’re going to be working with several editing softwares, like the Adobe Creative Cloud or light multimedia, you’ll want to up the ante to 8GB. Doing so allows you to further increase performance, and you’ll experience minimal frustration. Office workstations will sing (as long as their other components are up-to-speed), and 8GB of RAM is where you’ll typically want to start for light gaming.

16GB and Up: Is it Worth It?
Whether or not your system needs more than 8GB will really depend on what you plan to use it for. The only time that 16GB or more becomes worth your money is when you’re running several resource-heavy applications and/or virtual machines at the same time. If you need your workstation to be able to handle anything resource-intensive like this, you’ll want to invest in a machine that has at least 16GB of RAM. On top of that, video editing and other multimedia will be more effective with more RAM.

Be sure to discuss what you need with an internal IT department, or contact The Connection, Inc at (732) 291-5938, if you think you need an upgrade.

Disclaimer: For those who aren’t technologically savvy, RAM is a hardware component, not something that you can download off of the Internet to speed up your computer.

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Tip of the Week: Why Having an Extra Workstation is Worth It

Tip of the Week: Why Having an Extra Workstation is Worth It

For every business, it’s essential to be prepared for any unforeseen problems that can disrupt day-to-day operations. One easy way to do this is by keeping an extra workstation on hand.


Having a spare PC is actually a common recommendation for many business continuity plans. The purpose is to have a terminal ready to go that your employees can use for whenever their regular workstation must undergo repairs. Otherwise, they might just stand around with nothing to do, which adds up to a lot of lost productivity.

Considering how much money results from downtime, having an extra workstation on hand is well worth the expense. Also, it’s not like your spare PC has to be a state-of-the-art machine. In fact, a basic computer having just enough resources to run your mission-critical applications should do the trick.

Obtaining a spare PC doesn’t have to be difficult. If you’re a growing company that’s regularly refreshing your hardware, then it’s simply a matter of storing away an older PC that’s been replaced--assuming that it’s still in good working order and can perform the minimum job requirements.

If, on the other hand, you’re a newer company that hasn’t yet gone through a hardware refresh, then you’ll likely have to purchase a new computer in order to have an extra one on hand. Just keep in mind that you don’t have to buy anything fancy. After all, you just need a spare PC.

While we’re on the subject of swapping out workstations, let this scenario serve as a reminder of why it’s best to store all work-related files and applications over a company server or cloud storage solution. That way, all one would have to do in order to keep the project moving forward, is simply unplug one computer and swap it out for another. Plus, if your applications are running over the network, then the terminal needed to access the software would only have to be something basic and affordable, like a thin client.

Alternatively, going with BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) may suffice in your time of hardware repair. If an employee can use their own mobile device, like a laptop, to access the network and get work done, then pulling their workstation in order to fix it shouldn’t hinder operations. However, if you go this route, you’ll want to make sure that proper security measures have first been implemented before allowing a personal device to access company files. Also, even if you allow for BYOD in your office, it’s still a good idea to have a spare PC on hand.

At the end of the day, having an extra workstation comes with many benefits, and it’s just one of the many precautions you can take to ensure that operations will continue while downed technology is getting repaired or replaced. For more tips on how to protect your assets with a bulletproof business continuity plan, give The Connection, Inc a call at (732) 291-5938.

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Microsoft Sets Itself Up Nicely With Windows Store Loophole

Microsoft Sets Itself Up Nicely With Windows Store Loophole

When you’re managing your business’s technology, you want to limit access to time-wasting applications and keep your employees from accessing the Windows Store. It just makes sense. Yet, for the businesses that want to restrict access to the Windows Store on Windows 10 devices, well, that’s too bad; Windows 10 Pro version 1511 just made your life a whole lot more difficult, unless you’re willing to pay extra for Windows 10 Enterprise edition.

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As if Selecting Hardware Wasn’t Tricky Enough, Intel Went and Did This

As if Selecting Hardware Wasn’t Tricky Enough, Intel Went and Did This

Intel recently announced their next line of laptop processors, and with that single act, caused no small amount of frustration and confusion among the IT market. After claims that they were breaking from their traditional schedule of releasing a new processor each September and improving upon it later, Intel has gone ahead and released a new processor architecture instead of maintaining their Skylake processor from last year.


Referred to as Kaby Lake, the processor has been better optimized for 4K video handling and editing than its predecessor was, and reportedly improves upon the battery life as well. However, along with the changes made to the architecture were some changes made to the branding, which will almost certainly cause confusion among consumers.

Before Kaby Lake, Intel essentially had two lines of processors: Core i and Core M. Core i was the stronger of the two options with the i5 and i7 processors, while the Core m5 and m7 were typically put into tablets. However, as Kaby Lake was released, Intel changed the name of their Core M processors so that an m5 is now called… an i5.

Mind you, there has been no change in the capabilities of the processors, just in the name. The only distinguishing feature between Core M and Core i is now the inclusion of Y or U, respectively, in the SKU numbers included in the extended name of the products. What’s worse, when researching components to include as a part of a workstation configuration, many websites will only display that an i7 processor is included--meaning that it is entirely possible for someone to purchase a less-than-adequate solution for their needs because the SKU numbers are buried in the product specifications.

While the average consumer would likely notice little difference between the two, business users will need to be especially cognizant of this name change as they select a solution to suit their business. Of course, that’s assuming a business user has the time to research the solutions they will need to continue their operations in such depth, and the focus to spare on ensuring the SKU numbers match the processor to fit their work needs.

If a business doesn’t have the time to spare digging through minutiae, they could always call The Connection, Inc for assistance. Our expert technicians make sure that solutions are properly devised to meet the expectations any business requires. Call The Connection, Inc at (732) 291-5938 today to evaluate your tech to ensure your solutions are adequate.

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The Connection, Inc. Celebrates 32 Years as a Trusted Technology Provider!   Since our founding in 1992, technology and the way we operate and do business has changed a lot. Companies that have adapted and aligned themselves with ...

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The Connection, Inc
51 Village CT
Hazlet, New Jersey 07730