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Preferred Blog

Preferred has been serving the Tinley Park area since 1991, providing IT Support such as technical helpdesk support, computer support, and consulting to small and medium-sized businesses.

Vince Arden is the founder and President of Preferred Communication Systems. He is a graduate of DeVry University with over 30 years of experience in the IT industry. In addition to providing leadership in sales, marketing, project management, and service delivery at Preferred, Vince provides Virtual CIO-level services for the 4th-largest Realtor Association in the nation and to an Inc. 500 fastest growing company. He has been interviewed by industry publications like Redmond magazine, CRN News, and Continuum for his expertise related to cloud computing and the managed IT services industry. He also lends his voice as a contributing author for the Cloud Business Review.

His core purpose is to, "Help people achieve their greatest potential in work and L.I.F.E." He passionately works toward making this a reality in every aspect of life, including his areas of expertise, such as thought leadership, ideation, communication, team building, and Servant Leadership. Vince models building strong relationships, both with his team at Preferred and with his clients. He strives to build a network of people he can embolden to work smarter, so that they may ultimately be able to live better.

Building a Plan for Business Mobility

Building a Plan for Business Mobility

It’s undeniable that the smartphone has transformed computing. In fact, not only is more computing done on mobile devices, they are by far the most purchased computers in the world. Well over 90 percent of people own some type of smartphone. So how do you use these devices for productivity? This month, we will discuss some ways to make this happen.

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You Need to Be Able to Spot Scams Before They Sink You

You Need to Be Able to Spot Scams Before They Sink You

The Internet is a fantastic place to shop, connect, and learn, but people also have to deal with the minefield of scams—especially in 2025, where opportunists are getting even craftier with AI and other high-tech tricks. This month, we take a look at four simple ways you can spot an Internet scam before it drains your wallet or your personal data.

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Leaning on AI Isn’t Always the Answer

Leaning on AI Isn’t Always the Answer

Artificial Intelligence is one of the most disruptive and innovative technologies that has come down the line in a decade. It can do things in minutes that would take people hours or days. It will only get more sophisticated from here. Unfortunately for business owners, the use of AI can mean that sometimes you lose sight of just how valuable your human employees are. This month, we take a look at why human employees can be an important part of keeping your automated tools in check. 

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Technology that Can Help You Get a Handle on Your Supply Chain

Technology that Can Help You Get a Handle on Your Supply Chain

Running a small business is no easy feat, especially when it comes to managing supply chains. You’ve got to keep track of suppliers, shipments, inventory, and customer demands—all without losing your mind. Luckily, technology is here to help. Let's break down some of the key tech tools that small businesses are using to make their supply chains smoother and more efficient.

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Yes, That Text is Probably a Scam… Here’s How to Deal with It

Yes, That Text is Probably a Scam… Here’s How to Deal with It

Text messages are great. They’re a quick and effective means for us all to communicate. 

Unfortunately, this does bring some downsides, too… namely, they’re a relatively simple means for a scammer to spread their attacks. Let’s discuss why this is so dangerous and how you can identify and avoid these threats.

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Three Reasons Phishing Works and What You Need to Do About It

Three Reasons Phishing Works and What You Need to Do About It

Phishing is a common trick where hackers pretend to be someone you trust to steal your personal information. For example, they might send an email that looks like it's from your bank, asking you to verify your account details. Here's why it's so effective.

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Did You Know Windows Can Save Everything You Copy?

Did You Know Windows Can Save Everything You Copy?

If you didn’t know Windows can save a list of the text and images you copy, I feel for you—you’ve missed out on a simple trick that could’ve saved you a lot of time. But don’t worry, it’s easy to set up, and I’ll show you how.

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Android Phones Have a Handy Anti-Theft Feature You Should Use

Android Phones Have a Handy Anti-Theft Feature You Should Use

Mobile device security is critical for modern businesses, especially as they play a more prominent and significant role in daily operations. However, data loss is also a problem, regardless of the source… including if a device is wiped via a reset.

While Apple has offered a feature to prevent this for the past year or so, Android 15 now provides the same, referred to as Identity Check. Let’s explore how it works, and how to enable it for yourself.

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The Dark Web is No Place for Your Data

The Dark Web is No Place for Your Data

When hackers steal data, they don't just sit on it. Sometimes they delete it, but most of the time, they sell it or use it for illegal activities. A lot of this stolen data ends up on the Dark Web, a hidden part of the Internet where people do shady things. That's why it's so important to keep an eye on the Dark Web to protect your business.

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Tip of the Week: Stop Apps from Invading Your Privacy

Tip of the Week: Stop Apps from Invading Your Privacy

Earlier this year, a location data broker called Gravy Analytics suffered a huge data breach that compromised a dataset with 30 million points from devices all over the world. With this data, hackers can track users and their movements through healthcare, government, and military facilities.

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Did You Know that Cut, Copy, and Paste are Rooted in History?

Did You Know that Cut, Copy, and Paste are Rooted in History?

While technology has brought us a long way, there are still some telling remnants of how things used to be done. Take, for instance, the terms “cut,” “paste,” and “copy.”

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Here’s Your Strategy to Upgrade Away from Windows 10

Here’s Your Strategy to Upgrade Away from Windows 10

With the end-of-support date for Windows 10 looming later this year–October 14, 2025–you need to take action now so you don’t find yourself in a difficult situation. We have some tips for you as you make this transition, so we encourage you to use them to upgrade as quickly as possible ahead of the end-of-support date.

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Five Ways to Innovate Your Small Business

Five Ways to Innovate Your Small Business

In business, innovation and productivity go hand-in-hand. When you think outside the box, you open up new ways to get things done faster, smarter, and more effectively. In this month’s newsletter, we thought we’d discuss five innovative strategies to help your business reach new levels of productivity.

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How Your Business Must Conduct Business with the Internet of Things

How Your Business Must Conduct Business with the Internet of Things

With so many devices connecting to the Internet, it’s natural that a term would emerge for devices that don’t typically have Internet connection, but nowadays do anyway: the Internet of Things. Businesses can leverage the IoT to take advantage of incredible benefits, but these devices come with an inherent security risk. Why does the IoT matter for businesses, and what can you do to keep your organization secure?

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Three Tips to Better Manage Your Files

Three Tips to Better Manage Your Files

We manage all types of files in the course of doing business. Some are more important than others and often need better security, and they need to be filed a certain way so that retrieval is fast and painless. Today, we will go through three of the best practices in file management to help you get a better handle on the ever-growing amount of data you have to store. 

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3 Productivity Tips to Streamline Your Workday

3 Productivity Tips to Streamline Your Workday

Do you want superhuman productivity? Thankfully, it doesn’t take much to be more productive than the majority of workers out there, and a couple of small tweaks to your day can make a world of difference. Today, we’ll cover some strategies you can use for prioritization, time management, and focus, allowing you to get more work done.

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Cloud-Hosted Communications Can Have a Big Impact

Cloud-Hosted Communications Can Have a Big Impact

Communications are an important part of any business’ offering. This can be as simple as having a phone line to as complex as to need integration of multitude of different tools designed to push your business forward.

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Two Interesting Ways We Can Save You Money

Two Interesting Ways We Can Save You Money

One of the most asked questions we get is “How can you help us save money?” It’s the priority for anyone looking to outsource anything. So, naturally it has to be one of the first questions answered. In today’s blog, we’ll go through three ways that our brand of managed IT services functions to save our clients money.

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Five Password Practices for More Secure Accounts

Five Password Practices for More Secure Accounts

Passwords are one of the best ways to protect your online accounts and information. Strong passwords are especially important for small businesses because weak ones can cause significant problems, like security breaches. Let’s break down how to create and manage passwords the right way.

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Email Encryption: Of Course You Need It!

Email Encryption: Of Course You Need It!

Have you ever suspected that a hacker could silently observe your email interactions with your clients and your staff? If you manage your own email infrastructure, we want to highlight the importance of email encryption. Encryption keeps your business’ email communications secure and compliant so you can worry less about security and privacy to focus more on running your business.

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      Text messages are great. They’re a quick and effective means for us all to communicate.  Unfortunately, this does bring some downsides, too… namely, they’re a relatively simple means for a scammer to spread their attacks. Let’s discuss why this is so dangerous and how y...

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      Best Places to Work - 5 YEARS STRONG!!

      Preferred is once again, honored for being a Best Place to Work for the fifth straight year!  Our team is what makes Preferred a Best Place to Work.  

      Daily Herald Suburban Business 2024 Best Places to Work Honorees The Daily Herald Suburban Business has announced the names of 51 companies, in 5 categories of competition, that are honored as the 2024 Best Places to Work in Illinois. This statewide survey and awards program was designed to identify, recognize and honor the best places of employment in Illinois, benefiting the state's economy, its workforce and businesses.