Take it from us: technology, for all its benefits, can be frustrating.

That being said, it can bring a lot of value to your business when implemented and maintained properly. 

Let’s talk about some quick habits you can deploy to make your workday much easier when working with business technology.

Restarting Can Solve a Lot of Problems

Which sounds like the more efficient way to clean: organizing and sorting through your belongings and putting things in their proper place, or simply turning off the lights, shutting the door, and hoping the mess goes away?

Metaphorically, this is the difference between restarting your workstation and putting it to sleep.

A complete restart involves the computer dedicating the time to clear out all the temporary files, memory, and other data that may be slowing it down (or worse). You’re very much giving your system a clean slate, meaning there’s less baggage to deal with. This can also remove many threats that would otherwise persist if a workstation were simply locked.

There’s a Built-In Search Engine for What You’re Working On

To be clear, we aren’t saying that you can ask your word processor of choice to give you the latest stock prices or look up what James Cameron’s feature directorial debut was. What we are saying is that a simple shortcut command allows you to search for a particular word or phrase in a document, email, or web page, helping to eliminate a lot of time that could be spent searching for it manually. Simply press Ctrl+F and type in the word or phrase in the search box that appears.

You Might Be Neglecting a Basic, But Effective, Security Measure

While this should be common knowledge among business professionals, we wanted to make sure everyone takes advantage of a simple security feature that both Windows and macOS offer. Whenever you step away from your workstation—or really, any computer you’re using with a password protecting it—you should immediately lock it, each and every time. This helps protect sensitive information from unauthorized access and gives the user some valid deniability if data is breached. In Windows, locking your computer can be accomplished by pressing the Windows key and L simultaneously, while macOS uses the Ctrl+Command+Q key combo.

There’s Probably a Simple Route to Most of Your Needs, and We Can Help You Find It

So, we’ve covered how to speed up your machine, how to find information more quickly, and how to apply a very basic security measure. In doing so, we’ve barely, almost negligibly, scratched the surface of what your IT is capable of and how it can all make your life in the workplace easier.

For more assistance in optimizing and maintaining your IT, we recommend the fully managed and proactive support that providers like us offer. We’ll shift your technology management to help avoid issues in your technology infrastructure and capitalize on all your opportunities. Find out more by reaching out to 415 IT at (415) 295-4898.