Let’s All Move on From These 4 IT Frustrations

Technology is supposed to make things easier, yet it’s a common source of frustration when it doesn’t do what it’s supposed to. As an IT company, we experience technology frustrations all the time, and we wish that many of these frustrations could just be eliminated altogether. In our opinion, here are four technology frustrations that need to go.

Passwords
If you follow the best practice of having a different password for every single account that is complex and hard to remember, then you’re essentially left with a long list of complex passwords that is impossible to remember. Even if you utilize a password management tool like LastPass, you can still run into problems with passwords getting stolen, or having to navigate to a password page before you enter your account.

The crazy thing about passwords is that there are multi-factor and biometric technologies that can replace them (like retina and fingerprint scanning). These alternative technologies are easily accessible and can provide a more secure solution. Yet, here we are in 2016 and passwords are still the norm. You’re asked to create a new one every time you sign up for anything online. We can do better. Let’s move on from passwords.

Aggressive Promotion From Technology Vendors
Yeah, we’re looking at you Java and Flash. Many “free” applications are free because they get paid by their sponsors to sneak in extra gimmicks like browser toolbars and new antivirus software into the installation. Yahoo and Ask toolbars are the most common. Most of the time you can opt out of these so-called bonuses, but if you aren’t careful, you’ll miss it and be greeted by a new application or browser plugin you weren’t bargaining for.

This is reminiscent of Internet Explorer’s much hated prompt, “Would you like to make Internet Explorer your default browser?” No IE, just let us open IE in peace so we can download Chrome already! Aggressive promotions like these are super frustrating. Unfortunately, more technology vendors seem to be adding this strategy to their promotional playbook.

Outdated and Useless Technology Still in Use
Do you know just how easy it is for your business to go paperless? By digitizing your files, utilizing PDFs and digital signatures, and storing documents in the cloud instead of bulky file cabinets, you can very easily bring your office into the 21st century. Yet, printers and even fax machines are commonplace in many modern offices. For many business owners, hanging on to outdated technology is often a move to save money, but this strategy often backfires because outdated equipment ends up costing them more in the long run.

Inconvenient Websites
As the world becomes more connected to the Internet, it becomes more dependent upon websites and browsers. For the most part, this move online is one of convenience, but the functionality of some websites (or the lack thereof), can be a rather maddening experience. Scott Matteson of TechRepublic vents:

Constant updates. Plug-in woes. Websites that require you to log in to proceed to view an article but then take you to the home page when you comply. Browsers that don't save credentials no matter how many times you tell them to. Cumbersome site registration with illegible captchas and the requirement to wait for an email to complete setting up your account. (This is getting a better with the opportunity to log in with social media accounts, I'll admit.) The necessity to log your account ID and password somewhere or else use the same one you use everywhere—which is a BIG no-no. The list goes on.

We couldn’t agree more.

At Preferred, we experience technology frustrations just like everybody else. Thankfully, our saving grace is that we’ve got the solutions and the knowhow it takes to deal with these frustrations, and we’re happy to pass our technology experience on to you! For help with these four IT frustrations and whatever other technology problems that get you riled up, give us a call at 708-781-7110.