Best Virus Protection

When Windows 10 rolled out, Microsoft included Windows Defender (Anti-Virus) with it.  So I thought, “Oh cool, Windows comes with free anti-virus”.   And it’s free! but is it such a great deal?  Is it good enough anti-virus I can trust to protect my business?

Well for most of the business owners I know, FREE is a very good word.  Anything they can get for free the better.  But what will it cost them if their company should get a piece of ransomware that encrypts all of their company files?  Or a virus that emails all of their clients more copies of the virus.  How much does that “free” software cost then?

This happened to someone I know about a year ago.  They contracted a piece of ransomware from and email that encrypted all their office documents on the network, and in every folder was included a little note informing them that they could get their files decrypted for a very reasonable fee of $5,000.

Today, malware and cyber attacks are an everyday occurrence.  One report shows that malware costs US businesses over $491 billion in 2014 alone.  And I expect to see more cyber threats in the next few years.  Given this fact, one doing a simple cost-benefit analysis should conclude that the benefits of professional virus/malware protection far outweighs the cost.

Okay, so what anti-virus/anti-malware software should I get?  Which is the best?

The plain answer is Eset.  Even before working at Tricom I used Eset.  It is far above the best anti-virus I have ever used.  Partly because of performance.  It never slows down my computer, unlike other anti-virus software I have used in the past.  And partly because it is so good at catching threats and stopping them before they even reach your PC.

Now full disclosure, we at Tricom are resellers of Eset.   We sell Eset because we think it is the best and we recommend it to all of our clients.  We use it on our personal home computers as well as all of our work computers.

To learn more about Eset Nod 32 Anti-Virus or any other IT solutions for your business, please feel free to contact me or any of my other associates at Tricom.  (909) 599-4442

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Business Phones San Dimas

Small office PBX phone systems

Today's PBXs combine the best of both worlds. You get the features of a traditional, landline-based small office PBX. Plus, with a unified communications solution, you get an Internet Protocol (IP) PBX phone system as well as advanced collaboration and communication tools.


The result: With next-generation small office PBX systems, small businesses have the type of communications systems their larger competitors have, in a solution that’s built especially for their needs and budgets.

What’s a Small Office PBX?

A traditional small office PBX (Private Branch Exchange) is a telephone switching system that connects a company’s internal phone users to each other and to the public phone system. On a traditional small office PBX, employees can easily make calls within the company simply by dialing an extension.

How are Today’s Small Office PBX Systems Different?

Next-Generation communications solutions offer the same features as traditional PBX systems and much more. Advanced unified communications solutions often include an IP PBX, which runs on the same IP network many small companies use to run their businesses. This saves costs and minimizes network management.

What is Unified Communications?

A unified communications solution unifies and simplifies all forms of communication regardless of location, time or device. It provides sophisticated features such as “presence”, which is the ability to determine the best way to contact others within your company at any given time.


Who We Are: 
Tricom Business Technology Solutions is a full service IT management company with over 20 years of experience in the information technology field. We dedicate ourselves to providing excellent service with cost-effective value. Located in San Dimas California, Tricom services clients throughout Southern California and the rest of the United States. For more information please call (866) 477-4174.

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Facebook WiFi

Connect your customers with Facebook WiFi and Tricom

Use Facebook WiFi to let your customers check in on Facebook and use the web for free.

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TURN YOUR BUSINESS INTO A WIFI HOTSPOT

With Facebook WiFi by Tricom you can link your free WiFi to your Facebook Page. Customers simply check in to your location on Facebook to connect to free WiFi. People will also have the option of liking your Facebook Page. WiFi codes aren't necessary and there are no new accounts to create. Customers can manually check in or choose a setting that lets them automatically check in whenever they visit your location.

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REACH MORE PEOPLE

When customers check in to use your WiFi, their friends can discover your business by seeing the story in their News Feed. After checking in, people will be asked if they also want to like your Page so you can continue to connect with them on Facebook.

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HELP PEOPLE FIND YOUR BUSINESS

More check-ins and engagement with your Page will improve how it ranks in search and the Nearby tab on the Facebook mobile app.

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GAIN INSIGHT INTO YOUR CUSTOMERS

Access aggregate demographics data—such as age and gender—from check-ins and understand peak traffic times. You’ll also be able to reach customers who check-in with Facebook ads.



Tricom is a full service managed IT company located in San Dimas California and services clients throughout Southern California and the United States.  For more informaion please call (866) 477-4174

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Google Apps for Work

One of the most important tools needed to run a successful business is email.  It's as important as a telephone number.  However, it is all too common for businesses to have unreliable email service.  Or they still rely on a free email service that gives an unprofessional impression to their customers. 

In my field of work, I have come across quite a few email providers. Some good, some okay, and some downright awful.  How can you screw up email?  Well, I have seen some pretty bad set ups.  From mailboxes filling up so fast that the customer has to spend half their day downloading and deleting old emails.  To people, not receiving emails because the client's email service IP address was blacklisted for spam.  

So what if you are not the most tech savvy? What email service should you look for?  Well first off, if you are running a business you must have a name@yourbusienss.com address.  That is a requirement!  It shows people that you are serious and not running a hobby or running your business from your house (even if you might be).

And if you have employees you need to make sure they can stay productive.  If a company is having technical problems with their email service, that could not only cost the company productivity, it could cost the company customers!

Okay, Jason, just get to the point!

You need Google Apps for Work (now called G Suite).  Of all of the email service providers, G Suite is hands down the best.  Better than Godaddy, Microsoft 365, MS Exchanged, and all the other smaller services.  

Here are a few key reasons why I, as an IT professional, recommend G Suite.

You can use your own web domain (YourName@YourCompany.com)

Email is 100% web based.   No need to set up your email on a desktop program like Outlook or Thunderbird.  All you'll need is a web browser and you can access your email anywhere.

If you get a lot of junk mail, Gmail has advanced spam, malware, and phishing site filters to keep you safe from threats.

Mobile set up is a snap.  I can't tell you how many hours I have spent helping my clients set up their email on their phones and tablets. Simply tap "Add Account"  2. Select "Gmail"  3. Enter your emails address and password.  4. You're now ready to Rock & Roll.

But wait, G Suite is so much more than just email. You also get a whole suite of cloud-based productivity apps to turbo charge your workload.  All cloud-based, available anywhere, at no extra charge.

Key features:

• Business email through Gmail
• Video and voice conferencing
• Smart shared calendars
• Documents, spreadsheets, and presentations
• 2-step verification and SSO Security options
• 30GB cloud storage

Tricom is an Authorized Google G Suite for Work Partner and Certified Administrator. For more information call (866) 447-4174.

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The Best Business Router Under $100

For most small businesses, the basic router that comes from your ISP should be more than adequate. However, once you start moving up in demand on your network; (usually 10 users or more), it may be time to upgrade your router to something a bit more robust to handle the day to day demand.  Especially if you are using VPNs, port forwarding, or VoIP phones.
There are plenty of high-end business routers to choose from that can cost in the thousands of dollars.  Routers such as Cisco, SonicWall, Barracuda, to name a few.  But what if you need something that can handle the business workload, but you don't want to break the bank?
One router that we at Tricom have had some great results with is the Ubiquiti EdgeRouter Lite.  And at under $100, I'm sure most businesses can afford it and next month's payroll at the same time.

Now, there are plenty of low costs "Business" routers.   The fact that they call themselves "business" doesn't mean much.  And recently we have had some bad experiences with a few well-known brands.
But enough about them.  Let's hear more about the EdgeRouter Lite.
Well, for starters, it just works.  Weird concept right?  It just works.  Not only does it just work, but it works great and fast.   Sometimes you can tell the difference right away; especially if you are using any video streaming or VoIP phones.  If you Skype or video chat, the performance could improve as well, do to the fact the EdgeRouter Lite handles the issue of bufferbload better than any other router I have worked with.
For those more on the techy side, this router has lots of other cool features too.  Like pear to pear IPSec VPN, traffic/packet analysis, Smart QoS, VLANs, load balancing, and more; enough to keep any geek busy on a Saturday night.

The EdgeMax line from Ubiquiti is still pretty new to the scene, but it is already finding a big following in the tech community.  Given its high performance, solid build, and features, we have been getting some great reviews from out customers.

If you would like to learn more about Ubiquiti EdgeRouters or if you have any questions on networking or IT, Tricom would be more than happy to help.  

Tricom is a full service managed IT company located in San Dimas California and services clients throughout Southern California and the United States.  For more information please call (866) 477-4174

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Vonage Phone Service Help

If you are a Vonage Business customer, you may be experiencing technical issues that can affect your phone's performance and audio quality.

The following may cause VoIP phone call quality issues.
Limited Bandwidth
Voice over IP does not require a great deal of bandwidth; however, streaming videos, downloading files, and sharing programs such as Dropbox can eat up bandwidth, causing VoIP packets to get dropped.  Properly implementing QoS (quality of service) policies can give VoIP traffic priority without hindering the performance of other applications.

Network Collisions
As network traffic grows on the LAN with computers, servers, printers, IP cameras, and wifi devices, the greater number of packet collisions can occur.  Network collisions will interrupt VoIP packets causing audio drops and distortions.
Assigning your network into smaller VLANs will break down your network into separate domains, reducing traffic and collisions.

Misconfigured Router or Firewall
A misconfigured firewall or double firewall/NAT can interrupt voice traffic causing dropped audio and calls.

Broadcast Storms
Malfunctioning network devices, viruses, and malware can cause network broadcast storms interrupting traffic flow and causing network slowdowns.

Tricom can provide a full analysis of your network and equipment in order to solve your Voice issues.

Who we are:

Tricom Business Technology Solutions is a full service IT management company with over 20 years of experience in the field of information technology. We dedicate ourselves to providing excellent service with cost-effective value. Located in San Dimas California, Tricom services clients throughout Southern California and the rest of the United States. For more information please call (866) 477-4174.

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