What Your MSP Wished You Knew
We sat down with our engineers, technicians, and systems administrators to bring you this brilliant list that we have dubbed, What Your MSP Wished You Knew. It’s a list of comprehensive, albeit tongue-in-cheek things that will definitely make your life easier as one of our clients.
Yes, You Really Should Restart Your Computer Occasionally
Restarting your PC really does work for most software issues, but of course, not all software is the same and a lot of what your software does takes up memory. When there is an issue or trouble with your experience, completing “killing” the process by exiting the application or “ending” the task in Task Manager can resolve many issues. The same goes for the operating system, be it Windows, Apple, or even your phone: restart and then if the issue continues, give us a call!
But I Want It to Go Faster
Operating Systems like Windows, Apple and your phones are all based on memory availability. Here’s the hard truth:
you cannot download anything that will “speed up” or “tune up” your PC, most of those easy to find solutions are
gimmicks if they ever tell you to download something.
Quick Tip: Windows 11 comes off
as slow to you? No worries, let us show you how to disable this little feature, it will change your whole
experience.
1. Click Start > Settings > Accessibility.
2. Click on Visual effects on the right.
3. Toggle Animation effects on or off here.
Here are the Only Two Things We Really, Really Wish You Knew
Read the error messages that you get. More often than not, the message tells you exactly what you need to know. Follow the steps. Short of spilling your coffee on laptop before running over it with your car, you’re probably not going to break it,
(And even if you DID run over it with your car, chances are we can still get some data for you. Don’t ask why we know this.)
If you’re still unsure though, take a screenshot using Windows Key + Shift + S. This command takes a screenshot and automatically saves it your photos. Plus, if you do get any results from the steps you take, you now can provide that to us to get you fixed. This is especially useful even if your end-user steps took you to a dead end!
Don’t Turn Auto Updates Off Unless You’re Told to Do So
Stop fooling around in control settings to begin with, but most importantly, do NOT turn off automatic updates unless you are specifically told to do so by us, your MSP. We use that auto update feature to deploy vital new security patches and operations systems updates that keep your devices safe, your organization safe and in compliance.
Here is a vital phrase you need to memorize and keep in the back of your head at all times: reasonable efforts. Now here’s why that phrase needs to be engrained in your brain. The reasonable efforts standard is what your business or organization is going to be held to in the event of a data breach or cyber attack. Did your business or organization make reasonable efforts to utilize best practices in cybersecurity to prevent the breach or attack? If you turned off that automatic update feature without being told to – guess what? The answer is NO.
And by clicking that little button, you may have just made your business liable for millions of dollars.
But when would I be told to turn it off by an MSP?
The reason we may instruct you to do so is if we need to specifically schedule a large patch or update that may impact business operations. Typically, we try to schedule those as soon as possible to the patch deployment date at a time that won’t interfere with your business, like a Friday night at 3AM. If you DON’T get those specific instructions – be like Kevin Hart and say no. 
