Suffolk Computer Consultants, Inc. Blog

Does the new year have your business relocating offices sometime in the next 6 to 12 months? One of the most expensive mistakes a business can make when moving is treating IT like the last box to be packed (or unpacked). Instead of running the risk that your IT won't work as intended in your new space, we’ve compiled the three most important IT considerations for your new office location so your team can hit the ground running.

As a technology expert who has watched the digital transformation of businesses that you never thought would do it, I’ve seen one department consistently struggle: Human Resources. HR is the side of the business that needs some consistency. Whatever else happens, HR has to handle the people-side of a business while buried under compliance forms, payroll disputes, and whatever else they are confronted with. This environment is a recipe for burnout.

In 2026, we spend most of our days managing cloud architecture, deploying automated security patches, and chatting with AI bots. If we dial the clock back exactly 40 years to 1986, however, business technology wasn't just a different world; it was a different dimension.

In 1986, the cloud that we use for business wasn’t even an option. In fact, the cloud was something that ruined your weekend golf plans. We thought it would be cool to take a look at what some of the cutting-edge business technology looked like if you walked into an office 40 years ago.

It’s common for business owners to view technology costs as an annoying utility bill rather than money that could be the first step in a strategy to rapidly grow their business. There is a massive difference between spending money to tread water and spending money to swim faster, however. To determine if your current IT budget is a drain or a driver, there are some questions you will need to ask. Here are some:

Network bottlenecks are some of the biggest problems that businesses face in their networking architecture. While you might be paying your ISP for a certain speed standard, chances are you’re not getting it, especially if you’re relying on a consumer-grade router. If your network can’t handle all the abuse you throw at it day to day, then you could be putting your productivity and profits in jeopardy.

Historically, AI has been perceived by SMBs as complex, expensive, and outside their operational scope. Today, the democratization of AI via SaaS and integrated platforms makes it a cost-effective, practical IT asset with measurable ROI.

Here are three focused areas where AI can be strategically deployed to optimize your business performance:

Ask yourself honestly: How well does your current IT support function? If your answer is merely "fine" or "good," you're likely settling for the status quo and missing out on significant benefits. True IT partnership isn't about break/fix; it's about strategic growth.

If your provider has never discussed your long-term goals or future technology needs, it's time for a change. If you’re seeking a partner that delivers more than just basic support, we invite you to consider Suffolk Computer Consultants and our brand of comprehensive managed services.

Have you tried using AI to support your business, only to find yourself underwhelmed by the results? It can be too easy to assume that the AI will be able to extrapolate what we really mean based on vague instructions, but that just isn’t how it works.

In order to get quality results, you need to provide the AI tool with a quality request. This will require something called “prompt engineering.”

Let’s go over some strategies to help you make the most of the prompts you create.

With AI taking over the zeitgeist, you’re probably wondering what the big deal is and how you can use it for your business. That said, AI is far from infallible: you can experience issues with your AI models. We’re not just talking about operational problems; we’re talking about the value and validity of its responses to your queries.

With the new year fast approaching, it’s worth thinking about how your organization can be more future-minded. This involves considering artificial intelligence, or AI, as a means to accomplish more for your business. Of course, you also need to be careful about what data you provide AI with, as it can easily snowball out of control if you’re not careful with your approach.

Has your business implemented virtualization in any form? Chances are there is at least one part of your business that could benefit from a virtualization shift, whether it’s your hardware infrastructure, software infrastructure, or even desktop infrastructure. Today, we want to help you determine what the best virtualization options are for your business so you can take your digital transformation efforts to the next level.

Many organizations are fortunate enough to have an in-house IT department, but even the best teams can get overwhelmed. A small staff might be buried in daily maintenance, leaving little time to implement new, innovative solutions. If you're looking to upgrade your IT infrastructure, a great place to start is with a network audit. This is a detailed review that helps you identify what's working well and what needs to be improved.

Picture this: you’re at a major industry conference. The coffee is mediocre, the lanyards are itchy, but the networking is pure gold. You strike up a conversation with a peer, an owner of a competing company. After some friendly back-and-forth, they ask, "So, how are you guys handling lead follow-up from these events? It's always such a manual grind for us."

You smile as you pull out your phone. "It used to be," you say. "Now, we just do this."

You tap a custom form on your phone, enter the information, and press submit. "There," you say. "That person is now in our CRM, they've just received a welcome email with our digital brochure, and a follow-up meeting is already being proposed for next week. The whole thing is automated."

The look on their face? A perfect, beautiful blend of awe and envy. That’s the ultimate conference flex: showcasing a business that runs like a well-oiled machine. It’s a silent testament to efficiency, foresight, and having the right technology in your corner.

Solid teamwork is what allows businesses to thrive, but there are also many reasons this collaboration can go somewhat awry. It can be challenging to get a team back on track, but it’s not impossible. Here are four ways collaboration can go horribly wrong, but four ways you can help your collaborative efforts resume.

Let’s face it, the Internet is absolutely everywhere, and most likely contributes to your success. That means it is important that your business’ Internet connection meets the requirements of your operations, starting with its bandwidth. Let’s go over what bandwidth actually is, and how to make the most of your Internet service.

The time may come when you find yourself in the position to expand your business through the acquisition of one of your competitors or contemporaries. You may be in this position now. Either way, congratulations! This process can be rewarding and potentially quite profitable, provided everything goes according to plan.

One of the most important aspects to pay attention to during this process is the technology you’ll suddenly be adding to your toolkit. After all, you don’t want to find yourself with a huge, surprise mess.

The Chief Information Officer of a business has the primary responsibility of managing the organization’s technology, which in turn places a lot of stress on them as an individual. They implement strategies to help the business thrive, but they also take the blame for when those initiatives fail. They might even be tempted to say “yes” to requests even when they might feel like they should say “no.” Let’s look at three technologies that CIOs are implementing for businesses.

AI has become one of the spiciest topics in business, and with it being more accessible than ever, many people are asking, “What can I do with this new tech?” AI can be leveraged in many ways, and businesses can make excellent use of it to reduce their expenses. However, businesses aren’t the only ones looking to take advantage of this technology; wage workers are finding new and creative ways to streamline their tasks, increase productivity, and explore new opportunities for growth, all in an effort to cope with the rising prices that seem impossible to escape.

Look around, whether you’re working in the office, at home, or remotely. How much smart technology is around you right now, forming an Internet of Things? Connected technologies add an unprecedented convenience to life. The question is, is the convenience worth the inherent security tradeoff that each new connected device brings?

The challenge comes from the fact that the devices that make up the IoT are so frequently made with little-to-no thought or effort put into their security. Let’s talk about why this is such a huge risk factor and what you can do to take advantage of these devices while minimizing such risks.

Most people look forward to the end of the workday, but what if that joyful end were to be hampered by a server crash? What if you had to work after hours because you missed an important deadline? Let’s make sure this is prevented so you never have to deal with it.