Chicago IT Support & Cyber Security | Forward Technologies
Chicago-based Forward Technologies delivers IT support and cyber security to businesses in the Chicago area and nationwide.
Cyberattacks on U.S. federal courts are no longer just IT problems. They now pose a national security threat.
That is Senator Ron Wyden’s warning in a blunt letter to Chief Justice John Roberts this week, urging the Supreme Court to address repeated breaches of the judiciary’s document filing and email systems. Wyden called the hacks “unacceptable” and said weak practices have left the courts “an inviting target” for foreign adversaries. [Read more…]
You work hard for good reviews. You earn them one customer at a time. They land on your Google Business profile for everyone to see. And then… you stick a link in your footer and call it a day.
That’s the problem. Too many businesses treat reviews like a checkbox. As long as the score looks good on Google, they think the job is done. Meanwhile, the most convincing words about your business are locked away where only searchers will see them. If a potential customer lands on your website from anywhere else — a referral link, a marketing email, a direct type-in — those reviews are invisible. [Read more…]
Why Shadow AI Slips Past SecurityShadow AI is already inside. The tools sit in browsers and sidebars. Employees paste snippets of code, customer notes, even legal language into chatbots that were never vetted. The answers look helpful. The risk hides in the copy and paste. Data leaves the building without a ticket. Logs do not show it. Policies never saw it. By the time a leak becomes visible, the trail is cold.
IT leaders keep asking the same question. How do you govern what you cannot see? You start by naming it. Shadow AI covers any AI use that bypasses purchase, security review, or monitoring. That includes SaaS chat tools, browser extensions, model endpoints wired into internal scripts, and clever “personal assistants” someone installed on a work laptop. Each of those entry points can move sensitive information to third parties. Some keep prompts. Others store outputs. Many train on uploaded files. You cannot make a clean audit if you do not control any of that. [Read more…]
Your reputation is already online, whether you manage it or not. For most people, it starts with a quick search. They see your name, your location, and your Google Business rating. Those stars tell a story before you get a chance to speak. They shape perception instantly.
A five-star average signals reliability. A handful of recent positive reviews makes you look active and engaged. A string of old or unanswered complaints creates doubt. People trust other people, and reviews give them a shortcut to deciding whether you are worth their time. [Read more…]
Most business owners think of Google Reviews as a trust tool, not a search tool. They picture customers glancing at the stars, maybe reading a few lines, and then deciding whether to call. That part is true, but it’s only half the story. Reviews can influence how you show up in search results, and the way you display them on your own site can make that effect stronger.
Google rewards trust. It’s not just about backlinks or keyword density. Search algorithms look at signals that show your business is active, relevant, and valued by real people. Frequent reviews, consistent ratings, and recent activity send those signals loud and clear. A steady flow of authentic feedback tells Google you’re alive and well, not a forgotten listing. [Read more…]
