Blue Technologies Blog

In our post-pandemic world, consumers have learned to live, work, and shop more locally. In fact, 56% of shoppers are looking to local stores for their needs, moving away from malls and toward more hyper-local choices. In the coming year, 75% of consumers plan to shop locally for their goods and services. For that reason, local marketing is a key component of any business strategy. Local marketing is a way for your business to target people who live within a specific range surrounding your business. It helps to improve sales and conversion rates by targeting nearby customers through digital marketing. 

Topics: Managed IT, In-house printer, MSP, managed service provider, local marketing

Data collection and use are growing across all industries — and so is cybercrime, a trend that is driving the need for better enterprise data management and security. While malicious actors continue to develop increasingly sophisticated ways to access sensitive data, many companies are spending more on IT budgets to develop more protective strategies. However, protecting endpoints — those devices such as production printers, desktop printers or multifunction devices, copiers, scanners, and others — often gets overlooked. 

Topics: Managed IT, #cybersecurity, Data Management, Wide Format printer, productionprint

No business system has been hit harder by the ongoing pandemic than our supply chain. Challenges, including delays and further disruption, are continuing, especially as supply chain actors continue to adjust to a new way of doing business. And now that more workers are demanding remote or hybrid work environments, businesses are having to contend with new weaknesses and vulnerabilities in their security infrastructure — both digital and physical.

Topics: Managed IT, #SupplyChain, #cybersecurity, Cyberattacks, cybersecurity in supply chain, warshipping, phygital

Before the pandemic, many businesses were looking at digital transformations that included cloud migration. After the pandemic hit, 48% of businesses surveyed are fast-tracking their cloud migration and more than a third are looking at digitizing more processes using cloud-based technology. In general terms, the switch to cloud technology was predicated on the need for better security and collaboration to support remote and hybrid workplaces and to deal with disruptions in both business and consumer demands.

Topics: Managed IT, #cybersecurity, Hackers, Cyberattack, Cyberthreat, Entertainment

With the economy still reeling from the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic, manufacturers are skeptical about being able to maintain a profit moving forward. In fact, 75% of manufacturers claim that inflation is worse now than six months ago and over half note that it is becoming even harder to stay competitive and continue to turn a profit. 

Topics: Managed IT, MSP, Manufacturers, Recession

Hackers are getting more sophisticated, and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has given them the space they need to launch new and more impactful attacks. Recently, it was reported that last year broke the record for the number of sophisticated cyber assaults called zero-day attacks — and that number is climbing. Now, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) along with the National Security Agency (NSA) have warned businesses to expect an increase in cybercrime stemming from Russian hacking groups exploiting wartime disruption to perpetrate increased malicious activity. 

Topics: Managed IT, #cybersecurity, Cyberthreat, Entertainment, #cyberthreats

As an important channel between the global supply chain and the economy, wholesale distribution companies move behind the scenes, finding and distributing needed goods to their customers across the globe. However, the recent coronavirus pandemic has challenged these organizations with the impact of unpredictable demand fluctuations, disruptions in the supply chain, and increased workforce health and safety issues, all of which have placed an incredible strain on business-to-customer relationships. 

Topics: document management, Managed IT, Print Management, #WholesaleDistribution

Manufacturers are still feeling the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic, with disruption set to proceed well beyond 2022. As such, thought leaders are looking for ways to address the weaknesses in their operations and optimize systems using advanced technologies and, of course, the power of data. Because of the rapidly changing face of market conditions, long-term programs focusing on digital transformation are no longer providing real benefits. Instead, many are turning to shorter-term solutions to make the kind of strides needed in a hypercompetitive marketplace. 

Topics: Managed IT, #Manufacturing, managing your manufacturing operation

BST Global’s report on the State of the AEC Project Lifecycle showed that the Architectural, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) sector is still accumulating data through all phases of its operations, but is remaining incredibly inefficient at processing — and getting the benefits of — this data. While project documentation is on the rise, many firms are still using old-school strategies such as paper spreadsheets to track work, leading to increased operational inefficiencies as well as reduced project success. 

Topics: document management, Managed IT, Managed print, business automation, Data accessibility

Back in 2019, over one hundred nursing homes were without health data and payroll information due to a cyberattack after a ransomware attack where cybercriminals demanded $14 million in payouts to return full use of affected systems to the facilities. Everything from telephone services, electronic billing and payroll management to the ordering of medications and management of electronic health records (EHRs) was affected, leaving the nursing homes — and their patients and staff — at a great disadvantage. 

Topics: Managed IT, #cybersecurity, #NursingHomes, Managed services, MSP, adult care, retirement