Indigo Tech Services

Confession: I saw this on reddit and didn't realize it was AI generated. My first thought was "I bet that jacket is bullet proof as puffy as it is." But no, it's just another AI generated image.

There was another once recently that showed the former president getting arrested that some people fell for. That one I didn't think was real for a second because a news event as big as a president getting chased down by cops would be on every tv, radio and social media site all day for at least a day.

Altered and manipulated images have been around for forever but what makes AI generation different than someone with photoshop is how quickly someone can generate the images and how close to photo realistic they can now be.

And you just know this is going to impact the cybersecurity space somehow. Generally it's dumb to predict the future but it's easy to imagine someone using AI for email phishing. Couple of ideas popped into my head this morning.

1) hackers collect email accounts/passwords from a hacked site. They use those email account to search for social media to get reference images of their target. They use the reference images to create "compromising" AI generated art and threaten to email it to your friends/family/network if you don't pay in bitcoin.

2) Better than ever fake social media profiles - hackers pick a target and scrape their social media. Now they can generate images and text to closely mimic the person. They can then create a fake new account and claim their old one was hacked and to follow them at the new account

We can't all be media literacy experts and it's increasingly frustrating how we literally can't trust our eyes anymore on the internet. However with some vigilance and keeping a cool head we can prevent MOST of the dirty tricks out there.

Something I tell all my clients is that if you're not sure if something is spam/fake/suspicious to send it to me for a closer look. Most of the bogus stuff out there crumbles when you investigate it and look for other angles or corroborating evidence.

If you're looking for an IT provider who will always take the time to check in and help out with the little uncertainties Indigo is right for you.

Got a new client signed up today and I feel great about it!

If anyone's interested we have a referral program here at Indigo. You put us in contact with someone who needs IT services and if they sign up with us you get a bonus based on their monthly bill up to $500

If you know someone and want us to reach out send an email to [email protected] or call 704-916-9009

Pay more, get more.

Simple concept. Everyone should be able to understand it but in practice writing that first check or signing that first contract can be tricky.

But what comes after, happiness with the purchase or buyer's remorse? Here's a few things I have helped clients sign up for that they have never gone back on.

And please note this isn't just for the 4 months or so I've been operating this is for all my previous jobs going back almost 18 years now!

1 - faster internet service. This is really a no-brainer these days. Slow internet drives more frustration and angst at work than pretty much anything else. I recently helped move a client from a bare minimum fiber connection to a faster speed. Now they can move their entire infrastructure to the cloud and run their business with more speed and flexibility than ever.

2 - managed services vs hourly pay. Let's be honest, paying per-hour for IT service is bad for everyone. It's annoying for me to write up 20-30 invoices or time entries per month for calls that took 5-15 minutes. People feel like they are nickled and dimed. No one that's ever switched to a flat monthly fee has every requested to go back. Because you average out the costs and reap the benefits of not having to watch the clock for every little thing.

3 - newer equipment. We've all probably worked somewhere where the computers run on steam power and were originally built by the dwarves. It stinks and productivity always suffers. Modernizing, and standardizing equipment allows for so much more productivity. A new computer will pay for itself in less than a year in most cases when their existing computer is 5 years old or older.

Now if you look around and see some really old computers in your office, or a slow internet, or an itemized bill from your IT provider with a lot of little rinky d**k entries on it then it might be time for an upgrade.

Indigo Tech Services is here to help get you and your network back into the 21st century. And if history is any guide you won't regret investing a little extra into your network.

https://indigotechservices.com/contact-us

Indigo Tech Services IT services by people, for people

Pop quiz: what does the fi part of "wifi" mean?

I'll give you a minute. Ok times up.

It means nothing! The fi means nothing. You might be tempted to think it's like 'hifi' or 'high fidelity' from the stereo world. But you'd be wrong. I would understand, but you'd still be wrong.

Now if you're like me you are both excited to have learned something and a little chagrined that you didn't know it already.

Because what else do you not know? What are the other gaps in your tech knowledge?

Well fret not, friends. Indigo Tech is here to answer any and all of your tech questions and we are happy to do it.

Happy Friday and feel free to drop this tidbit in the breakroom and wow everyone else at work.