SMART Blog

Smart Services has been providing independent agents with proactive, fast, and expert technology services since 1991.

Should You Pay Your Vendors and Bills with Crypto?

Should You Pay Your Vendors and Bills with Crypto?

One question businesses have been asking over the past couple of years is: “Is crypto a viable payment system?” With the maturity of digital asset markets and the rise of regulated stablecoins, the landscape is more professional than any time in the past, but still carries with it substantial risks. If you are considering adding digital assets to your checkout or B2B payment flow, here is the current breakdown of the pros and cons.

0 Comments
Continue reading

3 Types of Data You’ll Need to Dominate In 2026

3 Types of Data You’ll Need to Dominate In 2026

Is your business ready to grow as we head into 2026? You may have heard that data is what fuels the decisions that lead to growth, but without a focus on the right types of data, you could be floundering and playing catch-up. Today, we’re sharing three types of data that your business can use to dominate in 2026, as well as solutions to help you collect it.

0 Comments
Continue reading

No, It Isn’t Just You… Technology is Getting Worse Over Time

No, It Isn’t Just You… Technology is Getting Worse Over Time

Do you remember when you were able to Google something and get the answer immediately, and not have to scroll past ads, sponsored results, and a not-totally-reliable answer hallucinated by an AI? You aren’t the only one. This trend of gradually declining quality in the products and services we all rely on has a very specific, descriptive name that efficiently captures what is happening to tech while also making all our feelings about it exceptionally clear.

In 2022, technology critic and author Cory Doctorow coined the term “enshittification.” The term was named the Word of the Year by the American Dialect Society in 2023, even beating out “AI.” It has proved so resonant that its use has expanded beyond social media platforms to include hardware, software, and technology in general.

0 Comments
Continue reading

Are Your Ex-Employees Still in Your System?

Are Your Ex-Employees Still in Your System?

When an employee leaves your business, they go through (or they should, at least) a comprehensive offboarding process where you collect their keys, laptops, and other assets you gave them to do their jobs. You may have collected these physical keys, but certainly not their digital keys. You might still see them pop up in the instant messaging app, or you might find recent activity from their account in your shared drive, all of which is problematic.

If you’re not careful, ex-employees might still be using company resources for their own personal use, and this can create a serious security risk for your business—not to mention the legal ramifications should anything bad happen.

0 Comments
Continue reading

3 Ways Your Business Should Never Use Generative AI

3 Ways Your Business Should Never Use Generative AI

With the rise of generative AI infiltrating pretty much every sector of society, it’s no wonder that businesses are finding creative new ways to use it for their gain. However, you need to be especially careful when using generative AI in the workplace. Today, we want to cover three common no-no’s that your business should keep in mind as it navigates the wild landscape that is AI.

0 Comments
Continue reading

Here’s How to Avoid Breaking Your IT Budget

Here’s How to Avoid Breaking Your IT Budget

Your IT budget can cause you a lot of stress, but if you approach it right, it doesn’t have to. Like every other part of your business, you want to have a good idea where to invest your technology budget. Not that many people do. We recommend you build out an IT roadmap, and a strategy on how to keep downtime to a minimum; and a lot of that is getting experts to manage and maintain your business’ IT.

0 Comments
Continue reading

Six Options for Business Virtualization

Six Options for Business Virtualization

How does your business use virtualization? We guarantee you that at least part of your infrastructure is virtualized to some degree, even if you don’t realize it. From hardware infrastructure to your desktop infrastructure, there are plenty of options for how your business can leverage virtualization for considerable impact.

0 Comments
Continue reading

Managed IT Helps Your Business AND Your Employees

Managed IT Helps Your Business AND Your Employees

Do you have an internal IT department for your business? Small businesses often don’t have dedicated IT staff, and if they do, chances are they’re overwhelmed with tasks and constantly playing catch-up (IT is a big job, after all). In fact, they might feel like they can never take time off because they’re so busy. If you want to ensure your business always has the IT it needs, then you should consider outsourcing as an option.

0 Comments
Continue reading

Why Throwing Good Money After Bad Hurts Your Business

Why Throwing Good Money After Bad Hurts Your Business

The more you’ve invested in anything, the more critical it feels for you to get a return on that investment. So, what happens if you keep pouring money into these efforts in the hope that it will eventually work out in your favor?

These kinds of skewed choices come about thanks to the sunk cost fallacy—the tendency human beings have to be swayed toward illogical decisions based on what we’ve already spent. 

Let’s discuss how to avoid this in your business by working through the logic, free of the emotional context that the sunk cost fallacy introduces.

0 Comments
Continue reading

Is Your Business Paying for Subscriptions It Doesn’t Even Use?

Is Your Business Paying for Subscriptions It Doesn’t Even Use?

Do you have your finger on the pulse of your business’ subscriptions? Not many business owners do, and it can negatively impact operations and budget lines. This tech sprawl can get out of control, which is why your business needs a plan to combat it. Thankfully, we’re here to help you get your subscriptions under control… both the known and the unknown.

0 Comments
Continue reading

The 4 Most Common Security Threats (And How to Face Them)

The 4 Most Common Security Threats (And How to Face Them)

Business owners like you are constantly worried about cybersecurity, and with attacks growing more persistent and sophisticated over time, it’s no wonder companies are taking it more seriously than ever before. Today, we want to highlight the four most common types of threats you’ll see and what you can do to protect yourself from them.

0 Comments
Continue reading

What Accountability Should Look Like for Your IT

What Accountability Should Look Like for Your IT

When something goes wrong with your company’s technology, the last thing you want to do is be the one at fault. Unfortunately, that’s what comes with the territory in the world of business IT. If you’re sick of technicians who make excuses rather than own up to their mistakes and correct their course, read on. We’re going to showcase just what accountability in IT looks like and how we strive to embody it.

0 Comments
Continue reading

Why Strategic IT is Non-Negotiable for Your Business

Why Strategic IT is Non-Negotiable for Your Business

Robust IT tools and services are no longer a luxury, but the very lifeblood for organizations of every size. They provide the essential direction, unwavering stability, and seamless connectivity required not just to survive, but truly thrive in an increasingly digital world.

That said, the questions remain: what exactly constitutes these pivotal "IT tools and services," and more importantly, why should they take a top spot on your business priorities?

0 Comments
Continue reading

World Backup Day Reminds You Not to Be an April Fool

World Backup Day Reminds You Not to Be an April Fool

Today is World Backup Day, an annual reminder that losing your data is just one accidental delete, cyberattack, or spilled drink away. The idea is simple: back up your files before disaster strikes. Because trust me, nothing ruins your day faster than realizing all your work, memories, and important files have vanished.

0 Comments
Continue reading

How to Keep Viruses from Hurting Your Chances of Success

How to Keep Viruses from Hurting Your Chances of Success

Every year, new malware, ransomware, and general cyber-nonsense emerge from the depths of the internet, evolving like a villain in a sci-fi movie. One moment, you’re minding your own business, and the next, your company’s data is held hostage and someone is demanding you pay them in Bitcoin.

0 Comments
Continue reading

Humans Can Outpace Automation in Some Situations

Humans Can Outpace Automation in Some Situations

Besides all of those people who are advocating for the scaling back or non-implementation of tools to save jobs, most people understand the benefit of automation when it makes sense. Not only do machines tend to do certain tasks more effectively, they never willingly take a day off. Unfortunately, for every task that needs to be completed less than half can be automated, and that number drops even further when you take into account everything a human does at their job. Today, there are very few jobs that can be fully automated; even as AI has begun to be used more for business. This week, we wanted to discuss why automation may not be the answer you are looking for and why training humans holds a lot of value.

0 Comments
Continue reading

How Planning Your Software Can Prevent Tech Sprawl

How Planning Your Software Can Prevent Tech Sprawl

Your business needs software, along with the various integrations it allows for to keep your operations going. A little planning goes a long way, especially if you want to get the best return on your investment. Today, we want to look at how you can find the right mix of software for your business without breaking the bank or experiencing the dreaded “tech sprawl.”

0 Comments
Continue reading

A Brief Review of (Some) VoIP Features

A Brief Review of (Some) VoIP Features

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) solutions famously offer businesses some significant cost savings. While this may be the extent of many people’s understanding of its value, VoIP actually has a lot more to offer. That’s why we wanted to go over just a few of its benefits - to provide a bit of insight into what makes VoIP such a great choice for today’s organizations.

0 Comments
Continue reading

Understanding How Technology Impacts C-Level Business Roles

Understanding How Technology Impacts C-Level Business Roles

We’ve all heard the title CEO before, business shorthand for Chief Executive Officer. In fact, it may be a title that you hold yourself. While the CEO of a company is undoubtedly important, it is crucial to consider what other c-level roles should also be filled. As a technology-centric company, we often consider roles like the CIO, the CTO, and soon enough, the CDO to be just as important. 

0 Comments
Continue reading

What are Tech Industry Giants Doing About COVID-19?

What are Tech Industry Giants Doing About COVID-19?

While COVID-19 has largely dominated the public awareness and created huge shifts and interruptions to businesses of all sizes, small businesses have clearly been impacted the most--essential and non-essential businesses alike. Of course, this doesn’t mean that large enterprises and corporations aren’t also affected. The difference is, these enterprises and corporations are sometimes better equipped to do something about it… which many have.

0 Comments
Continue reading

Mobile? Grab this Article!

QR-Code dieser Seite

Blog Archive

2026
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
2012
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
2011
January
February
March
April
May
July
August
September
October
December

Sign up for our Newsletter!

  • Company Name *
  • First Name *
  • Last Name *