Quercus IT Blog

Quercus IT has been serving the Edmonton area since 2005, providing IT Support such as technical helpdesk support, computer support, and consulting to small and medium-sized businesses.

Two-Factor Authentication: Multiple Locks for the Same Door

Two-Factor Authentication: Multiple Locks for the Same Door

You want to make network security one of your top priorities, especially these days when you can hardly go online without feeling like someone’s trying to take advantage of you. The password still plays a dominant role in network security, but the fact remains that it’s only one credential that hackers need to target you. Instead of depending on the password, more businesses are shifting to two-factor authentication, or 2FA.

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The Psychology Behind the Scam

The Psychology Behind the Scam

Scams are often so convincing that it’s difficult for even experienced individuals to detect them, but why is this the case? It all boils down to human psychology. Modern security training can help you identify these telltale signs, but it doesn’t really explain the why of things. That’s what we’re out to explore today.

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Why Focusing on Operating Expenses is the Best Way to Budget IT

Why Focusing on Operating Expenses is the Best Way to Budget IT

Business technology is one of the greatest expenses in your budget, particularly when things don’t go according to plan. These are typically looked at as capital expenses, which means they are expensive and unpredictable by nature… but they don’t have to be. Today, we want to show you a different way of managing your IT that transforms it into a predictable operating expense.

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Windows 10 Is On Its Way Out. Are You Ready?

Windows 10 Is On Its Way Out. Are You Ready?

On October 14, 2025, Windows 10 will officially reach its end of support. This means that millions of users around the world will have to make a decision: upgrade to Windows 11, or continue without support. What does this end of support mean, and how should your business prepare?

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Tip of the Week: Minimize All

Tip of the Week: Minimize All

How often do you find yourself overwhelmed by the sheer amount of clutter on your desktop? You might dig through a pile of applications, windows, files, and so much more, and it can be difficult to make sense of it all and be productive. Thankfully, there is a rather simple tool to help you clean up your desktop and focus on one window at a time.

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Why Double and Triple-Extortion Are So Scary

Why Double and Triple-Extortion Are So Scary

Ransomware is bad, and you can’t take any chances with it if you want to keep your business safe. Understand that it might seem like we’re exaggerating, but we’re not; ransomware really is as bad as it comes, and when you’re faced with double or even triple extortion, you’ll be put in a tough spot that no business owner wants to find themselves in. Today, we want to cover what these terms are and why they’re so bad.

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What Is Legacy Technology Costing Your Business?

What Is Legacy Technology Costing Your Business?

It is certainly tempting to squeeze every last drop of life out of existing equipment. After all, why spend money on new computers or servers if the old ones still technically work? You may view this as frugal, but ironically not spending on the updated IT your business needs can lead to leaving significant revenue on the table. The truth is, holding onto outdated hardware can silently, yet significantly, bleed your business dry.

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If You Don’t Optimize for Uptime, You’re Gonna Have a Bad Time

If You Don’t Optimize for Uptime, You’re Gonna Have a Bad Time

When it comes to your business’ IT, there’s a nasty word called “downtime” that’s always referred to in a negative way, and for good reason. Downtime can be a business killer if it’s not monitored for and avoided. To help you understand just how dire downtime can be, we want to compare it to its natural enemy: uptime.

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Achieve Victory with Comprehensive Security

Achieve Victory with Comprehensive Security

You've heard the saying, "A man's home is his castle." When it comes to your business, that comparison is even more fitting. Your business is your livelihood, your stronghold, and it deserves the strongest defenses.

Just like a medieval castle was built to keep threats out, your business' security needs to have an all-encompassing strategy. That’s why it is absolutely necessary to implement cybersecurity measures that serve the same protective purpose for your business and its network.

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News Flash: Hope Isn’t a Cybersecurity Strategy

News Flash: Hope Isn’t a Cybersecurity Strategy

Hope can be enough to keep you moving forward, even when the world feels heavy and dark. While it’s good to keep hope in your heart as a light to help you push onward, it’s not a very good cybersecurity strategy. Hope won’t stop a data breach, a ransomware attack, or a phishing scam, and it certainly won’t keep you safe when cybercriminals only need one slip-up from anyone in your office to ruin your day.

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What Can We Learn from the Library of Alexandria’s Destruction?

What Can We Learn from the Library of Alexandria’s Destruction?

Nowadays, data is one of the most valuable assets we have. However, if we’re being honest, whenever we say “data,” what we’re referring to is knowledge. In this context, data has always been something that society has valued.

Consider the Library of Alexandria, widely regarded as the first library to transcend cultural prejudices and collect information from multiple civilizations. Its collection must have been breathtaking, but it isn’t around any longer. All that data, gone.

How likely is it that your business could experience similar data loss, and more critically, how prepared are you for that eventuality?

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Regular Data Backups Work Wonders for Eliminating Downtime

Regular Data Backups Work Wonders for Eliminating Downtime

How much do you know about your business’ data backup infrastructure? Do you know how often data backups occur, or if they’re occurring at all? Regular backups are the key to a successful, sustained business, and multiple backups per day are your “Get out of jail free” card when you’re facing a data loss incident.

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5 Tech Hacks to Reclaim an Hour of Your Day

5 Tech Hacks to Reclaim an Hour of Your Day

We can probably all agree that there’s a big difference between “staying busy” and “looking busy,” and that the first option is generally the better one in the workplace. The big difference is how productive you actually are.

Let’s go over some simple-to-implement ways you can help your team boost their productivity without even thinking about it.

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Is AI Boosting Business or Causing Headaches?

Is AI Boosting Business or Causing Headaches?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is everywhere these days. It has become a standard feature in many business tools and devices. This means a lot of people are using it day-in and day-out. The question becomes: Is it truly beneficial, or does it create more headaches than it solves? Let's explore how AI can actually help your business.

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Technology Can Help You Break Free from the Workday Grind

Technology Can Help You Break Free from the Workday Grind

The daily grind. We all know it. That relentless cycle of repetitive tasks and the constant feeling of being busy but not necessarily productive. It’s an all-too-familiar feeling. What if technology could transform that frustration into a feeling of steadfast accomplishment?

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Listen, You Need to Take Data Backup Seriously

Listen, You Need to Take Data Backup Seriously

Backup is a decidedly unsexy topic to discuss, but it’s important nonetheless. You can’t trust that your files will always be there—not unless you take action to ensure they’re well-protected and preserved for when you need them most. While you’re busy with other parts of running your business, you need to know with certainty that your files are safe, and we can offer that.

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Is AI Right for Your Small Business? Navigating the Opportunities and Challenges

Is AI Right for Your Small Business? Navigating the Opportunities and Challenges

AI is everywhere. In a relatively short amount of time, artificial intelligence has exploded from being a fringe feature to becoming standard kit in many—some may argue most—applications and devices, particularly those intended for business use.

The truth is that it’s hard to tell whether AI could bring a business a ton of benefits or if it ultimately generates (pun intended) more problems than its worth… at least, without a concerted effort to make those determinations. Let’s see what we can do to make sure it is beneficial.

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Tip of the Week: How to Use Email Templates to Save Time and Energy

Tip of the Week: How to Use Email Templates to Save Time and Energy

You probably have to rewrite the same messages day in and day out for internal reporting and client interactions, and it probably takes up a ton of time that would be better spent elsewhere. Furthermore, you’re probably copying and pasting, which can lead to errors and oversights that you could live without. If you’re doing this for email, then you should be leveraging templates to keep your messages consistently top-quality. Let’s go over how to set them up.

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A Social Media Day Security Checklist for Your Business

A Social Media Day Security Checklist for Your Business

Happy Social Media Day! It’s hard to believe that social media—at least in the modern sense—has already been around for almost a quarter-century. Seriously! LinkedIn launched in 2003, and Facebook launched in 2004.

Since then, social media has become an essential business tool; however, it also provides cybercriminals with an opportunity to exploit your organization. Let’s observe Social Media Day by reviewing some simple security line items to keep your business safe while you take advantage of the capabilities social media can provide.

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The Productivity You Seek is Indeed Within Reach, with the Right Habits

The Productivity You Seek is Indeed Within Reach, with the Right Habits

Productivity is an essential metric in modern life, and while it can often feel impossible to achieve, there are ways to overcome the anti-productivity malaise. Here are three habits that are likely to help you in your search for both organizational and personal productivity.

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Quercus IT strives to provide the best comprehensive IT, Computer, and Networking services to small businesses. We can handle all of your organization's technology challenges.

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2-15015 123 Ave NW,
Edmonton, Alberta T5V 1J7

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