Agile Networks Blog

We’ve all heard it, perhaps even rolled our eyes at it: “Have you tried turning it off and on again?” This seemingly simplistic question has become a running gag in the world of IT support. But beneath the humor lies a fundamental truth: rebooting a device is often the most effective first step in resolving a surprising number of technical glitches.

We understand that, although it might sound elementary, this advice is based on solid technical principles.

If your business technology setup is driving you nuts, you’re not alone. Many business owners and managers have endless gripes about the technology they use for their business. It could be that your Wi-Fi is crawling along and not allowing for productive Internet speeds, your software feels like it was developed for Windows Vista, or you’re constantly wondering how you are going to keep your data safe. Whatever the case, it can be fixed. In today's blog, we’ll go into how to rebuild your IT plan from scratch.

Remember buying software on disks and installing it, computer by computer? Thankfully, those days are long behind us. Today, Software as a Service (SaaS) offers powerful advantages, especially for small and medium-sized businesses.

Let’s explore how you can benefit from these subscription-based tools. 

Technology doesn’t just support modern businesses, it drives them. Whether it's handling customer transactions, storing data, or running day-to-day operations, companies depend on their IT systems to work reliably. But what if you could spot problems before they actually cause trouble?

Technology is no longer just a support function for a business, it's a critical driver of business performance, security, and competitiveness. As systems age and newer solutions are implemented, the need to evaluate and upgrade your technology becomes important. While it’s easy to maintain the mindset of reactive maintenance, relying on outdated technology can quietly hinder growth and expose your organization to significant risks.

Running a small or medium-sized business means juggling countless priorities. You're focused on your customers, team, and bottom line… but what about the technology that powers it all? 

Often overlooked, your IT infrastructure is far more than just the computers on desks. It's the complex web of network equipment, essential software subscriptions, cloud services, and even the personal smartphones and tablets your employees use for work. Keeping this entire ecosystem running smoothly and securely is a significant challenge for many SMBs.

Smart speakers have been around for a while, but let’s be honest—they haven’t exactly changed the world. Sure, they’re great for playing music, setting timers, and answering random trivia questions, but beyond that? Not much has evolved. So, how did we get here, and what’s next? More importantly, can they actually be useful for businesses, or are they just another gadget collecting dust?

If I were to ask you what technology your business possessed and where it all was right now, could you give me an answer? If not, you’ve demonstrated the importance of keeping an accurate inventory of your business’ IT.

So, let’s go over some best practices to make managing your business’ IT inventory more effective.

We’ve all had to confirm we’re not a computer when attempting to log into an account. This is the core purpose of what once was called CAPTCHA… the Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart. However, it seems surprising that computers don’t easily overcome these simple-seeming tests.

Let’s dig into why these simple tests actually are effective at differentiating between human users and automated bots.

We can’t tell the future—no one really can—but it is both possible and vital to make predictions based on present trends and current events. Let’s look forward to the rest of this year to see what predictions we can make for business IT and the notes we should all take over the next few months.

Hardware is far from the most fun topic for a business owner to learn more about, but that doesn’t diminish its importance. If you want to ensure your business stays ahead of the game, then you need to be strategic about your hardware implementation. Otherwise, you risk falling behind, put your business in danger, and—even worse—imperil your budget. Today, we want to help you get the most out of your hardware, long before you have to invest in anything new.

Managing all the gadgets in a modern office isn’t a walk in the park. The tricky part is keeping tabs on every device, figuring out who’s using what, and noticing any trends. If you’re not already tracking your tech, now’s the time to set up a system that does just that. Using an inventory management system can make this whole process a lot smoother.

Unless you’ve been living off the land in the wilderness for the past couple of decades, you’ve heard of Facebook, Twitter (now X), and Instagram. Most people have some type of social media presence on one or all of these platforms (or at least on LinkedIn, TikTok, or YouTube). Many businesses once used or currently use these platforms as a part of their marketing efforts, and despite being billion-dollar companies, there are some serious concerns about the viability of these platforms going forward. In this week’s blog, we will discuss some of the problems people are having with these established social media platforms and how alternatives might just be the future of social media.

While we all know how much magic the workshops up at the North Pole rely on to produce presents for the good children of the world, we have it on good authority that they also rely on quite a bit of technology. For instance, there are a lot of letters that need to be sorted and read before Santa’s big ride. Let’s read up on what our partners up north frequently deal with in their critical operations.

The Internet is right along with electricity as a completely essential part of doing business. Today, we take a look at the central metric of Internet usage: Bandwidth.

Have you ever noticed the digital screens at stores or restaurants displaying deals, menus, or videos? These are called digital signs, and they’re incredibly useful for businesses of all sizes. Let’s dive into why they’re so great!

Keeping your small business’ technology up to date is a lot like maintaining a car—you need to make updates to keep it running smoothly and avoid costly breakdowns. The problem is, with IT, where do you start? This month, we thought we’d provide a step-by-step guide to planning tech upgrades for your business.

Computer problems can be super frustrating, especially when they slow you down while working. Many times, it is something that can be fixed quickly, but then there are issues that an experienced IT professional has to address. Let’s take a look at some of the most common computer problems professionals run into.

Rebooting your device presents several benefits. If you ever experience an issue with your device, rebooting it will likely improve it. Heck, even the National Security Agency (NSA) recommends you do this… but why?

One of the many tasks undertaken by the United Nations is to protect human rights around the globe while also working to create more sustainable and climate-friendly development. As such, the UN has recently taken a healthy interest in the development of artificial intelligence, hoping to develop guidelines that allow us to get the most value out of AI without creating more significant problems.