Gone are the days when packing for your vacation meant simply grabbing some clothes from the closet and toiletries from the bathroom, tossing them in a suitcase and hitting the road. These days, more time and thought are given to what technology gadgets are needed for a trip than about what to wear.

Are you meeting someone for lunch and have a little extra time on your hands before your lunch buddy arrives? Here are some tech tools that can keep you productive even when you’re not in the office.

Smartphone – Today’s smartphones can easily do double duty as your office phone and lightweight internet-enabled PC in a pinch.

You might recall the 1992 song, “My Grown-Up Christmas Wish” written by David Foster and his then wife, Linda. Natalie Cole was the first to record this holiday standard, but it was Amy Grant’s version that became the big hit. The lyrics showcase an adult writing to Santa and asking for much more than material things: the end to war, friendship for all and love that would never end.

While you’re decking the halls, why not protect them at the same time! We talk a lot about business security and how the internet can spell trouble if the right precautions aren’t put into place. As we swing into the holidays this year with Christmas and the new year right around the corner, it’s worth considering your home network.

This is the time of the year to be thankful. And, one of the hit songs of the 70s that encouraged us all to be thankful was by Love and called “Be Thankful for What You Got.” Interestingly, the songwriter, William DeVaughn originally titled the tune, “A Cadillac Don’t Come Easy.

While Cathy is happily married to her husband, Doug, for 25 years, she is often dating different tablet devices in search of the perfect portable companion.  We decided to play The Dating Game and have Cathy “date” some of the latest tablets.  When it comes to tablet selection, as in life, you don’t really get to know someone until you spend some time with them.

Many businesses leverage temporary or seasonal staff.  The benefits are obvious—expertise and additional resources/capacity when you need it. With the advances in technology, utilizing these types of personnel is even easier.  However, what may not be so obvious are the network security risks; in particular, the increased potential for compromised sensitive data or loss of control of the data.

Are your employees’ personal smartphones connected to your business network? They are 100% up to date, right? Unsure? Mobile technology is a prime target when it comes to security.

Protect your network by implementing technical solutions to “sandbox” your mobile devices or enforce your organization’s mobile device security policies.

Enhancing the security of your online accounts is important for staying safe online.

Turn on two-factor authentication on critical accounts like email, banking and social media.
Secure your router by making sure it has a strong password and does not broadcast who you are through its name (e.g., “the Jones Family” or “123 Elm Street”).
Make better passwords by combining upper and lower case letters with numbers and symbols.

Protect or purge digital files as you do important paper files. Sensitive materials such as hard drives, disks and memory cards should be shredded.

Clean out your old email and empty deleted folders. If you need to keep old messages, move them to an archive.