Today’s marketing and online communications are all about customization and personalization. If you like a friend’s picture of an Art Deco door in Belgium, you see many more posts featuring similar designs. Or, if you view an area rug on a website, you’re suddenly bombarded with ads for rug stores when you next go online.

This can add convenience, but it is also unsettling. What companies online know about you could be more detailed than what your friends know. Take the following steps to regain control of what your computer, phone, and apps know about you.

Review your privacy settings

Whether going online from a phone, laptop, desktop, or tablet, get to know the device’s privacy settings. Some important settings to review include:

• email tracking – this can let people know if you opened their message or not;
• location tracking – personalizes recommendations but also tells search engines where you are;
• voice recordings – manufacturers use these to train virtual assistants, but pause this to keep your conversations to yourself;
• purchase history – this helps feed the machine so that businesses know how to target you in the future.

Opt out or block ads

Opting out of ads limits the information collected from your browser or device. The site or business still receives basic information about you, but you will no longer receive targeted, interest-based ads any longer. Apple’s iOS 14 allows app blocking, and you can also express your choice on Android devices.

Otherwise, use browser ad blockers, such as AdBlock Plus, or JavaScript blockers, such Ghostery, to limit ad tracking. Also known as content blockers, these software programs prevent ads from showing on websites you visit. You can find ad blockers for Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Safari, and Internet Explorer.

 Check your permissions

Watch the permissions you give apps. We have already talked about checking device settings, but you can also limit the permissions you give to apps. For example, social media accounts have privacy settings that allow you to control what’s logged about you.

Plus, check permissions for other apps. Clash of Clans doesn’t need location services, for instance. Or you might not want to give Slack access to your microphone and video recordings.

Use webcam covers

Covering your webcam stops someone from potentially seeing and recording you. If you think you’d see the light come on to show the webcam is in use, know that hackers can disable that. A simple sliding webcam cover closes the webcam when you are not using it to avoid a cybercriminal having access.

Covering your webcam can also come in handy in all those online meetings you’re having. A covered camera means you don’t run the risk of your colleagues catching you unprepared.

Limit information you provide

Social media has created a culture of oversharing. There are probably many things you’ve seen about friends online that you would rather not know. You’re also sharing more than you need to with the companies that you interact with online.

If you’re filling out a form for a download, you might fill out only the required fields. When you add an app, be stingy with your personal details. Think about it from a need-to-know perspective. For instance, that home design game you love to play doesn’t need to know where you went to high school or with whom you bank.

Large corporations can afford an in-house IT team to keep track of all the hardware and software, but small- to medium-sized businesses often need help. Managing computers and mobile devices, telephone, print and fax systems can be overwhelming. Then there’s all the software you need to secure, not to mention setting up data recovery in case of a disaster or emergency.

Consolidating your technology and using a managed service provider offers several benefits to companies of all sizes.

#1 Increased Efficiency

If there’s a problem with your printers, phones, or Internet connection, you call your provider. When many vendors offer each of these services, you make several calls, which means waiting on the phone with a printer tech, phone company, or computer customer service.

When you connect with customer support, they can address only issues in one area of concern. Computer customer service isn’t going to know anything about your phone service, and the phone company knows zilch about printers. This disjointedness can waste a lot of time.

With an managed service provider, you need to make one call only. Hopedale Technologies would know and understand your entire system. We can offer input based on how your different technology interacts.

#2 Cost Savings

Lacking a holistic view of your technology and its interactions, you can end up wasting money. You might invest in a new feature for voice over IP, duplicating a capability you already have online.

Consolidating your technology with a single provider can also streamline costs. The first thing we will do is to map out how your technology works together. Armed with an understanding of business needs and goals, we’ll make recommendations. You may be able to cut back on services in one area with a simple upgrade in another. Perhaps you’re paying for software licenses you no longer need. Plus, we would identify opportunities for cost savings gained from bundling services.

Instead of managing several bills for every technology, you pay a single, consistent fee, which also makes budgeting much easier.

#3 Business Agility

If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that business needs to be nimble. Yet your ability to react can be slower working with many different vendors. Simplifying your processes can streamline your response times.

Hopedale Technologies will take a proactive approach to overseeing your technology needs. We want you to avoid disruptions in the first place. Partner with us to keep technology current, security up to date, and systems upgraded. This frees up what IT staff you have on-site to do more business- and revenue-generating work.

#4 Supportive Partner

Individual vendors focus on selling you their particular services or systems. The overall interplay of your technology isn’t their primary concern. Yet ensuring all your technology interacts effectively and efficiently is what a managed service provider does best.

We care about your success. Hopedale Technologies can help determine whether:

• your processes could be more efficient;
• you have the right answers to cybersecurity risks and issues;
• your business has the best technological tools to meet its needs.