Tech in the Time of COVID-19

COVID-19 has inexorably changed our economy, our travel plans, and all of our daily lives. Regardless of the severity of the actual virus, we’re living in a modified world. We at Visionary Computer are your computer’s doctors, so we’ve put together some thoughts about how best to use, care for, and leverage your technology to help you and your family get through this complicated time.

Cleaning and Disinfecting 
Keeping your computer, iPad, iPhone and other technology products clean is essential in reducing the spread of contaminants. Apple recently updated an article on how to properly clean and disinfect your Apple products. Have a read here. In short: using a 70 percent isopropyl alcohol wipe or Clorox Disinfecting Wipes, you may gently wipe the hard, nonporous surfaces of your Apple product, such as the display, keyboard, or other exterior surfaces. Don't use bleach. Avoid getting moisture in any opening, and don't submerge your Apple product in any cleaning agents. Don't use on fabric or leather surfaces. 

Social Distancing 
The best thing you can do to help stop the spread of this virus is to stay home as much as possible, and avoid groups. This, unfortunately, has the side-effect of dramatically increasing isolation and loneliness, especially in a more rural area like ours. Every Mac, iPhone, and iPad comes with FaceTime, an app which allows you to make video calls to any other Apple device, anywhere in the world. It can work over WiFi or cell service. Don’t just hear the voices of your far-away family and friends, you can see their faces and stay in closer touch during this desolate time. 

Remote Services 
For several years now, we at Visionary Computer have offered Remote Support services where (with your permission of course) we can connect to your computer and help you regardless of where you are. As long as you have a working internet connection, we can assist you with all manner of questions or issues from the comfort of your own home, free from any worries of accidental exposure. 

With the added need for reliable technology, this is the perfect time to again mention our Visionary Watchdog service, which allows us to remotely detect any number of issues on your Mac, allowing us to proactively protect you from lost backups, crashes, malware, and even battery failure. Watchdog offers incredible value and comes with a 20% discount on all remote support. It takes mere minutes to set up and you don’t have to leave the house to do it. With Visionary Watchdog, you can protect your Mac and save you money: truly win-win. 

Collaboration 
Since so many people are eliminating physical contact and proximity, it’s an ideal time to mention one critical business tool we use here at Visionary to help with collaboration and teamwork. It’s called Slack and it will transform how you communicate with your team. We would be happy to help you set it up for you and your entire organization. 
 

Network and Connection 
Many people are being instructed to work or attend school from home which, for best results, requires the best network connection possible. There are two facets to that: your internal network & WiFi hardware, and your connection to the Internet. In terms of internal network & WiFi, many of our customers are still using the long-discontinued AirPort hardware. For its time, AirPort was wonderful; however the very last AirPort product was released in 2013. They were sold up until 2018 when Apple officially discontinued AirPort but even those units were built using 7 year old technology. Today, WiFi is leaps and bounds better, faster, more reliable, and flexible. We offer several WiFi options based on your individual needs, and as of now, network upgrade evaluations are being performed at no cost. You should consider upgrading before your current network fails and you are forced to make a desperation upgrade, rather than selecting a solution tailored to your individual needs. 

Of course, having a great internal network won’t do much for you if your Internet connection itself is sub-par. To that end, it’s nice to know that there is a group of intelligent, dedicated, and hard working people who are committed to improving the infrastructure here in the Northwest Corner and beyond. Here is a blurb about Northwest ConneCT:

“Broadband has become as important as roads and electricity. A recent study commissioned by the Northwest Hills Council of Governments found that 35% of homes in our region do not have adequate broadband and almost none of us have the broadband speeds we will need in five or ten years.  If you are interested in receiving a monthly e-newsletter about an initiative here in Northwest Connecticut to meet our current and future high-speed broadband needs, please go to Northwest ConneCT and click on "subscribe to our newsletter". You can also find detailed information about this initiative there.”

We here at Visionary Computer support the efforts being made by Northwest ConneCTto bring about real change to our aging, antiquated broadband infrastructure. We encourage all our customers, including those outside the immediate area, to sign up for their newsletter and be part of the solution. 

None of us know what tomorrow will bring, especially in the wake of an unprecedented pandemic. What we can do is look out for one another, and use our technology as best we can to stay connected with our loved ones and curb the spread of illness. Our thoughts are with our customers at this trying time. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help.