Those annoying text messages are popping up on smartphones at an alarming rate and with increasingly deceptive messages that prey on our COVID-19 anxieties and new online habits, however, they are more than an annoyance, these text scams are a real threat to your data, your device, and potentially your organization’s network. Smishing, which combines SMS and phishing, is not new; however, as we provide our phone number to communicate with more and more legitimate online companies, access to our cell phones becomes easier to access for those looking to access or sell your data or just wreak ha ..read more

Special Sinu guest contributor, Arleen Atienza Artificial intelligence has been ingrained into our lives for years. From Siri to self-driving cars, AI has undoubtedly changed the landscape of our reality and made performing tasks more efficient. This influence that AI has also extends to the business world. Most businesses now also have an online presence. And with the prevalence of commerce being done online as much as, or even more than in physical settings, AI has its influence in a lot of companies — from tiny startups to large conglomerates. This massive integration of AI in business pro ..read more

The Circuit’s milestone 10th episode features special guest host, Electric CMO, Andrea Kayal, & guest David Owen, CRO at Sinu, which is now a partner of Electric. David specializes in helping nonprofits navigate the complex IT landscape to find the right solution that meets their needs and helps support their work. Throughout the episode, David provides insight into how nonprofits can best utilize good IT practices to further their mission and cause. This episode covers: How IT is a partner to nonprofits, not just a vendor Why an IT solution is one of the most important investments ..read more

From contact tracing to telework practices, the privacy landscape has shifted during COVID-19. This article addresses several questions concerning how personal data is being used in contact tracing apps, and, more recently, for digital credentials that indicate whether someone has antibodies for the virus or has received the COVID-19 vaccination. So-called “immunity passports” are now being tested by several countries including the U.S. It is speculated that people who carry such a passport will be allowed greater freedoms to gather in public spaces and travel. There are arguments for and aga ..read more

Photo credit: Whitehouse.gov With the change in administration on January 20, President Biden and his team face a number of pressing issues. Of course, COVID-19 tops the list, however, there are several opportunities and challenges around technology that have a direct impact on small businesses and nonprofits, as well as how quickly the economy will recover from the pandemic. Whether or not to break up Big Tech with new antitrust policies, how to handle China and the tariffs on tech imports, and what liability companies such as Facebook and Twitter have for content their users post on their p ..read more

By Larry Velez, Sinu CTO Image with caption: Photo credit: Apple.com Newsroom Many people are asking why Apple’s newly-released over-the-ear headphones – the AirPods Max – cost $549. CNN is quick to point out that by comparison, the iPhone SE starts at $399, and other high-end headphones like Bose’s Noise-Cancelling Headphones 700 and Beats Studio 3 cost $339 and $349 respectively. While media coverage for the AirPods Max has focused on the big price tag, what most people don’t realize is that these headphones really are different. In a word, they are smarter. They have enough computing power ..read more

Photo credit: From "Gartner Top Strategic Technology Trends for 2021" When looking forward to what will drive technology trends in 2021, it is not surprising that many result from the significant upheaval caused by COVID-19, including its impact on the economy, the workforce, and our growing need for flexible I.T. solutions. According to a recent Gartner report, technology trends for 2021 fall into three often interrelated themes: people centricity, location independence, and resilient delivery. People centricity recognizes that despite A.I. and automation, “people are still at the center o ..read more

Sinu is proud to announce that Electric and Sinu will merge in order to drive a more modern approach to IT support for businesses and nonprofits. According to Information Age, “Electric says the acquisition of Sinu will add expert IT support to its deep bench of over sixty IT service professionals.” “This deal is an investment in our customers. Sinu has proven that you can deliver top-shelf customer satisfaction to a wide range of businesses in a very repeatable, scalable way. I’m thrilled to partner and inject more of that DNA into all of our solutions here at Electric ,” said Ryan Denehy, CE ..read more

By Larry Vélez, Sinu CTO  Sinú pre-Columbian jewelry in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons, Sailko, CC BY 3.0 Indigenous Peoples Day was held this year on October 12 in over a dozen states and 130 cities, often in lieu of Columbus Day, which has been a federal holiday since 1971. A little background… My parents were born in Colombia and our family has indigenous ancestors, so as a homage to my heritage, I named this company after a pre-Columbian culture. I remember the day clearly. I had found a map somewhere online that had many Native peoples in all of the Amer ..read more

With so many people working remotely, or combining remote with in-office time, it’s more important than ever to set up and utilize IT security and privacy protocols that work wherever you are located. As part of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we wanted to share several tools and policies that you can put in place if you do not have tech support, such as Sinu provides as part of its all-inclusive service. These suggested best practices provide a layer of protection to mitigate the risk of data breaches and malware and are well worth the time they take to implement. The list below is b ..read more