New Look Computer & Data

05/28/2026

𝐂𝐎𝐏𝐘𝐈𝐍𝐆 & 𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐀𝐈? 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐌𝐀𝐘 𝐁𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐏𝐘𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍 𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐓𝐄𝐗𝐓

Most people think copy and paste only transfers words…

But sometimes it can also carry:
• Hidden formatting
• Invisible characters
• Embedded links
• Tracking data
• AI formatting fingerprints or watermarks

That hidden data can create weird formatting issues, broken website layouts, strange email behavior, accessibility problems, and other issues businesses may never even notice.

This is why many IT professionals recommend:
“Paste as Plain Text”

It strips out the hidden junk and leaves only clean text behind.

Windows:
Ctrl + Shift + V

Mac:
Command + Shift + V

Or paste into Notepad/TextEdit first before moving it somewhere else.

Small tech habits like this can prevent BIG headaches, especially as more businesses begin using AI tools every day.

05/26/2026

𝗚𝗢𝗢𝗚𝗟𝗘 𝗝𝗨𝗦𝗧 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗘𝗗 𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗖𝗛. 𝗜𝗦 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗕𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗬?

You may have seen headlines claiming Google is becoming "fully AI" starting May 26. While that's a bit oversimplified, one thing is clear:

Google Search is rapidly shifting from a list of websites to an AI-powered answer engine.

Instead of showing users 10 blue links and making them click through multiple websites, Google is increasingly using Gemini AI to provide direct answers right inside search results.

So what does this mean for small businesses?

• Your website may receive fewer clicks from people searching for basic information.

• Businesses with outdated websites, weak content, or incomplete online profiles may become less visible.

• Google will place even more importance on trustworthy, accurate, and helpful content.

• Your Google Business Profile is becoming more important than ever.

• Reviews, photos, business descriptions, FAQs, and local authority signals will help AI understand and recommend your business.

What should your business be doing right now?

✓ Make sure your Google Business Profile is complete and up to date.

✓ Add fresh photos regularly.

✓ Encourage happy customers to leave reviews.

✓ Update your website with useful content that answers customer questions.

✓ Make sure your contact information is consistent everywhere online.

✓ Focus on being the best local authority in your field, not just ranking for keywords.

The businesses that win in the AI era won't necessarily be the ones with the biggest advertising budgets.

They'll be the businesses that clearly demonstrate expertise, trustworthiness, and provide useful information that AI can confidently recommend.

If you haven't reviewed your website, Google Business Profile, or overall online presence lately, now is a good time.

The way customers find businesses online is changing faster than it has in years.

05/22/2026

𝗜𝘀 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱?

Most small businesses think they're protected because they have antivirus installed.

Unfortunately, that's exactly what cybercriminals are counting on.

Today's threats don't just attack viruses. They target outdated computers, unpatched software, weak passwords, fake emails, and security gaps that often go unnoticed until it's too late.

Here's a simple question:

• If your business computers were encrypted by ransomware tomorrow, would you know before it was too late?

• If an employee clicked a malicious link today, would anyone be monitoring for suspicious activity?

• Are your computers receiving critical security updates and being checked regularly?

If you answered "I'm not sure" to any of those questions, your business may be more vulnerable than you realize.

At New Look Computer & Data, our Managed Service plans help protect businesses with:

• Advanced Endpoint Protection

• Security Monitoring

• Managed Windows Updates

• Threat Detection & Response

• Backup Monitoring

• Remote Support

• Local Mid-Michigan Based Service with locations in St. Johns and Owosso.

The best part?

For many businesses, professional monitoring and protection costs less than a few cups of coffee per employee each week.

A single ransomware attack can cost thousands.

Protection is far less expensive than recovery.

05/18/2026

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐓𝐨 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐀𝐈?

AI tools are becoming part of everyday life for businesses, schools, nonprofits, and even local governments.

People are using AI to:
• Write emails
• Create marketing
• Summarize meetings
• Analyze spreadsheets
• Build presentations
• Generate code

But here’s the problem…

Most people have no idea what happens to the information they paste into these tools.

Some AI platforms may:
• Store conversations
• Use prompts for model training
• Handle data differently between free vs business plans
• Offer stronger protections only on enterprise accounts

We put together a new AI Security Comparison graphic and blog post breaking down:
• Data privacy
• Encryption
• Compliance standards
• Enterprise protections
• Data retention policies

AI is an incredible tool, but businesses need to use it smart.

Before uploading customer info, contracts, financials, medical data, internal emails, or sensitive documents into AI systems, it’s important to understand how the platform handles your data.

Take a look at the chart and blog post to learn more and help your organization use AI safely in 2026.

05/16/2026

𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐓𝐢𝐩: Your Email Inbox Could Be a Security Risk
A lot of people don’t realize this… but your email inbox may be storing old usernames, passwords, password reset links, and security question reminders from years ago.
When you sign up for websites, apps, streaming services, banks, or online stores, many of them send a “Welcome” email that includes your login information. The problem? Most people never delete them.
If someone ever gains access to your email account, one of the first things a hacker will do is search your inbox for words like:
• “password”
• “login”
• “reset”
• “account”
• “verification”
In seconds, they can uncover a goldmine of sensitive information.
✅ Good security habits:
• Delete emails containing passwords or sensitive login info
• Clean out old password reset emails
• Use a strong password or passkey for your email account
• Turn on Two Factor Authentication (2FA) whenever possible
• Treat your email account like the “master key” to your digital life
Your email is connected to nearly everything:
📧 Banking
📱 Social media
🛒 Shopping accounts
☁️ Cloud storage
💼 Work accounts
Protecting it should be a top priority.
One of the best cybersecurity habits is learning to “think like a hacker.” Sometimes the biggest risks are the things we forgot were sitting there for years.

05/16/2026

𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐓𝐢𝐩: Your Email Inbox Could Be a Security Risk

A lot of people don’t realize this… but your email inbox may be storing old usernames, passwords, password reset links, and security question reminders from years ago.

When you sign up for websites, apps, streaming services, banks, or online stores, many of them send a “Welcome” email that includes your login information. The problem? Most people never delete them.

If someone ever gains access to your email account, one of the first things a hacker will do is search your inbox for words like:
• “password”
• “login”
• “reset”
• “account”
• “verification”

In seconds, they can uncover a goldmine of sensitive information.

✅ Good security habits:
• Delete emails containing passwords or sensitive login info
• Clean out old password reset emails
• Use a strong password or passkey for your email account
• Turn on Two Factor Authentication (2FA) whenever possible
• Treat your email account like the “master key” to your digital life

Your email is connected to nearly everything:
📧 Banking
📱 Social media
🛒 Shopping accounts
☁️ Cloud storage
💼 Work accounts

Protecting it should be a top priority.

One of the best cybersecurity habits is learning to “think like a hacker.” Sometimes the biggest risks are the things we forgot were sitting there for years.

05/08/2026

𝘾𝙖𝙣 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙂𝙋𝙏 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙤𝙧?

Everyone's talking about AI replacing everything. And yeah, AI is powerful. But there's one thing ChatGPT and every other AI tool out there simply does not have access to, and in real estate, it's everything.

It's called the MLS. And without it, AI is just guessing.
Before you think about skipping a realtor, or if you're a real estate agent worried about where AI is heading, watch this.

As someone who works in IT and talks to people every day about how they're using AI, I want you to understand what it can do AND what it can't.
Tag a realtor who needs to see this.

04/27/2026

𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐒 𝐖𝐇𝐘 𝐁𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐃 𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐃 𝐈𝐓 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐈𝐂𝐄𝐒

You may have seen the recent headline about Claude Mythos Preview being restricted… because it’s TOO good at finding and exploiting vulnerabilities in computer systems.

Let that sink in for a second.

The tools hackers use just got faster, smarter, and easier to use.
What used to take days or weeks… can now happen in minutes.

And here’s the reality
Most small businesses:
• Aren’t fully up to date on security patches
• Don’t have active monitoring
• Are relying on “nothing’s happened yet” as a strategy

That’s a dangerous place to be.

This is exactly where Managed IT Services come in:

✔️ Systems monitored around the clock
✔️ Security updates handled before they become problems
✔️ Multiple layers of protection, not just one
✔️ Backup and recovery plans in place when things go wrong

Because the question isn’t if businesses will be targeted anymore…

…it’s whether you’re prepared when it happens.

If you don’t have someone actively managing your systems, now is the time to start that conversation.

04/23/2026

𝐀𝐈 𝐈𝐧 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬

A big thank you to the Ada Business Association for having me. I was excited to present to such a full room and engaged group. There’s nothing better than getting in front of people who are genuinely curious about how AI can actually be used in their day-to-day business.

We dug into practical, real-world ways to use AI, along with some honest discussion around where it’s headed, where it still falls short, and how to use it more effectively. From improving prompts and customizing outputs to making smarter, more informed decisions, the focus was on tools you can put to work immediately.

Really appreciate the opportunity and the great interaction from everyone in the room.

04/18/2026

A brain expert just said what no one wants to hear about screen learning.

Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath: "Even in schools, it doesn't matter what the size of the screen is...and it doesn't matter who bought it...All of these things are ...

04/14/2026

⚾ Tech Tip: How to Watch the Detroit Tigers in 2026

Watching Tigers games just changed this year… here’s the quick, no-confusion guide 👇

What’s new?

The Tigers are now on Detroit SportsNet (DSN) instead of the old Bally/FanDuel network. This is a brand-new streaming + TV setup.

📺 Option 1: Stream Every Game (Easiest Way)
Download the MLB App on your phone, smart TV, or Roku
Subscribe to Detroit SportsNet
Cost: about $19.99/month or $189/year

📡 Option 2: Cable / TV Provider
DSN is being added to cable & streaming TV packages
Channel availability depends on your provider
Channel Lineup:

Spectrum (Digital): Channel 436
Spectrum (Set-Top Box – Lansing Area): Channel 436
Comcast/Xfinity: Channel 1253
DirecTV / DTV Stream: Channel 663 / 663-3
AT&T U-verse: Channel 1739
Westphalia Broadband: 1 or Check local lineup

Option 3: Out-of-Market Fans
Use MLB.TV
Lets you watch all out-of-market games
BUT local games may still be blacked out

Some games will still be on national channels
(ESPN, Apple TV+, etc.)
A few games may even be free over-the-air locally

Pro Tip:
If you’re not seeing the game, search “Detroit SportsNet” instead of scrolling channels.