Washington Works Blog

The smartphone market used to be a hallmark of innovation, but nowadays, aside from the folding form factor, smartphone manufacturers have decided that the technology works, more or less, the same. What does this decline in innovation mean for you and your business? It might actually not be all that bad.

The blockchain is a technology that many people know about, but cannot explain. They know it has something to do with Bitcoin, but can’t tell you exactly what. Well, whether you know next to nothing about blockchain, or you’re a seasoned crypto investor, you will be.

Chances are that your business’ technology has gotten more complex in the past few years. This complexity has likely created some confusion on how best to manage your technology. Couple this with the more sophisticated threats that have been developed over that time, and there is a real risk to the welfare of your business coming from the technology you depend on daily. Today’s blog will discuss how increased complexity can be managed competently.

Have you ever had things not go according to plan? It can be an incredibly frustrating experience, especially when assets and business resources are involved. This is also true in the realm of business technology, so today, we want to cover how you can invest in the future of your business without getting too far ahead—including with your IT resources.

Keeping track of your business’ technology is very important for smooth operations and long-term success. You need to monitor every piece of your technology to avoid wasting money and facing security issues. A good inventory system helps you know what technology you have, where it's being used, and when it needs maintenance or replacement. This ensures your team has the right tools when they need them, which helps boost productivity and growth.

If you’ve spent any time online, you’ve likely encountered ads popping up while you’re trying to read articles, watch videos, or scroll through social media. While some ads can be helpful, many people find them disruptive or invasive, which is why ad blockers have become popular.  Have you ever wondered how exactly ad blockers work? Let’s break it down.

Professional services include a lot of the “experts” people depend on. Today’s professional services firms rely heavily on technology to enhance efficiency, client service, and overall operations. This month, we thought we’d go through four technologies professional services firms depend on. Let’s get into it.

Cutting costs on IT while maintaining the security you depend on requires a fair amount of consideration. One of the most effective ways to maintain security and manage IT costs is through the use of cloud services. The problem is that there are horror stories surrounding data security in the cloud that persist even as a larger and larger percentage of people and businesses use the cloud for their computing needs. This month, we take a brief look at how the cloud serves to cut down their computing costs. 

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the technology landscape, and mobile devices are at the forefront of this revolution. As smartphones and tablets become increasingly powerful and sophisticated, they are becoming ideal platforms for running AI applications. This trend is driven by several factors, including:

When you think about it, the technology we have today is truly awe-inspiring, simply because it enables us to be so much more productive as we exercise our creativity. All one really has to do to prove its value is to compare the quality of life we enjoy now as compared to almost any time in the past.

However, this does not mean that everyone is using technology to its full capacity and, as a result, suffering some consequential effects. Let’s consider some of these effects to reinforce why it pays to embrace the potential uses of technology fully.

Data fuels business, but we also share a large amount of data even in our personal lives. Even the most benign communications, like chats, requests to stop by the store on your way home, and even memes or pet pictures, are considered data—and where there’s data, there’s a place where it’s stored.

Today’s question: do you know where your data is being stored? And do you know the impact of that storage?

Human resources is not an easy game, as I’m sure your HR representatives would be happy to tell you if asked. Therefore, it is important that they have the tools needed for success today.

By this, we mean information technology that supports the everyday responsibilities and processes that an HR department is charged with completing. Let’s discuss some tools that you should incorporate into your processes.

Managing a budget is difficult, let alone budgeting for something as complicated as your IT infrastructure. Even though IT is notoriously difficult to budget for, it still continues to grow as a priority for organizations. How can you ensure that your budget can keep up with the projected expenses of your IT in the next several years?

The Internet of Things, or IoT, has transformed how modern businesses operate in 2024. Whether you’re a manufacturer or a healthcare provider, the IoT offers previously impossible applications, from real-time data collection to smarter decision-making. Let’s explore some ways your business can use IoT in 2024.

Common knowledge states that the more you put into something, the more you get out of it. Therefore, it stands to reason that you should put as much funding as possible into your most essential resources—such as your IT.

This, however, can be a hard sell to yourself or anyone invested in your company… partners and staff included. 

Without much fanfare, the AI Wars have commenced. This isn't just a metaphor; it's a true battle for the future of tools aimed at enhancing human productivity. This war for market share will shape the next age of modern computing.  

You may have noticed the recent attempts by Google to provide AI-generated answers to your queries. You might not immediately understand why AI is such a prevalent thing in arbitrary technology like search engines, but we assure you that there is a good reason for it—a better user experience—even if it does come with mixed results.

We live in an era of constant upgrades. How often do you upgrade your smartphone? Do you give the same attention to your business’ technology? Many users ignore clear signs that it’s time for an upgrade, telling themselves, “I’ll manage just fine.” This mindset can be a problem. Knowing when old devices are slowing you down and upgrading to newer, stronger ones is very important.

The recent CrowdStrike outage that disrupted many Microsoft-run systems has made headlines, even if it didn’t affect you directly. With so many organizations relying on Windows, this incident caused an unprecedented number of computer crashes, impacting over 8.5 million systems worldwide. The outage didn’t just cost businesses billions in lost revenue—it also led to the cancellation of 3,000 flights, throwing travel plans into chaos. As the largest outage in history, it served as a stark reminder that the technology we depend on daily isn’t foolproof. Today, we’ll explore key takeaways from the CrowdStrike outage and how businesses can better prepare for such events.

IT is a crucial part of running a business, but it plays a deeper role than many realize. Today, we want to explore the relationship that businesses have with IT and, in particular, the effect technology has on company culture.