Blog & Updates

Attention: Prevent Yourself from the Worldwide Cyber-Attack!

May 15, 2017

If you’ve heard about the most recent news on the world-wide cyber-attacks, you know how serious it is. If you haven’t, then let me fill you in. According to CNN*, this is the world’s largest cyber-attack in history. This specific attack is known as ransomware. Ransomware is an infection that acts like a Trojan Horse. It is disguised as something legitimate but actually infects your PC. It most often is unleashed on your computer by clicking a link or opening an attachment from an e-mail. When this infection contaminates your computer, it holds all your data hostage. That could mean QuickBooks files, Excel sheets, Word documents, photos, personal information, etc. To be able to access your information, you will be expected to

TEDx Goose Lake, 2017

April 10, 2017

[siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Image_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget] You’ve probably heard about the nonprofit, inspirational events called TED talks. Maybe you’ve seen them online or have even attended one or two. On April 8, 2017, Twin State Technical Services had the opportunity not only to attend the TEDx talk in Goose Lake, but to help sponsor the event. “We really appreciate your sponsorship. It would not have been possible without help from the community!” Jenna Stevens, the event coordinator from Northeast High School, said. The theme of this TEDx talk was “Changing Perceptions in Technology, Ideas, and Response.” The event was held at the Northeast High School with the goal of challenging our views on topics such as our use of technology and our current lack

Lisa Ploehn to receive Medal of Honor

March 14, 2017

It isn’t every day that our local businesses receive prestigious awards. So when they do, we like to recognize and help celebrate their accomplishments. On March 7, it was announced in an article published by Drake University that Lisa Ploehn, owner of Main at Locust Pharmacy and Medical Supplies, would be adding a new award to the pharmacy’s repertoire. Ploehn will be awarded the highest honor given by the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Drake University: the 2017 Lawrence C. and Delores M. Weaver Medal of Honor. The award with be given on Wednesday, April 26, at the 2017 Weaver Medal of Honor Lecture. The lecture is to be held in Sheslow Auditorium at 2 p.m. You can

Rivermont and Russell Construction to make QC history

February 1, 2017

When you hear the term “boarding school,” what comes to mind? Around the Twin State Tech office, the general consensus was that we hadn’t heard of many in the United States. According to a recent article by the Quad-City Times, that is about to change. In the Article “For the first time in almost half a century, Bettendorf will be home to a boarding school. . .” the QC Times wrote. According to the article, the project that has been underway for several months is now expected to double its school rank. With the offer of a former Bettendorf mansion turned dormitory, the school will soon be able to accommodate international boarders coming to the Quad Cities “from countries such

Excitement for EICC urban campus project

February 1, 2017

It’s always a proud moment to see one of our clients be recognized for their achievements. On Jan. 10, Scott Community College announced that they would be receiving an additional $2 million toward the urban campus development project. In the article According to the article in the Quad-City Times, the unexpected increase in funding came from a surge in interest from US Bank. This means that the original scope of the project can now be expanded to include “a community building, additional science labs, and more space for the college’s new virtual reality program and a center for information technology and business entrepreneurship and innovation.” We are excited for all that this project will mean for Scott Community College and their

2016 Tools of Our Trade – Web Developers

December 2, 2016

The web is full of shiny new toys to play with. This can make it a bit overwhelming at times. A survey by Ashley Nolan—a Senior UI Engineer working at JUST EAT—regarding what tools web developers are currently using got me thinking about what we use at Twin State for front-end development. As a designer creating websites for a variety of clients, I have to stop occasionally and ask myself: Is there a better way to do this? Is there a faster way to do this? Is my code going to be understood by anyone else who has to maintain this website? If I use a new tool, are my coworkers going to be able to maintain it? I work closely with

Keeping Your Office Healthy This Winter

November 25, 2016

It’s the day after Thanksgiving, and you know what that means: Christmas music has officially hit the airwaves, festive holiday decorations are being brought out of storage, and people everywhere are searching for the best deals of this holiday season. Come Monday, we’ll be returning to work. For many of us, this means sitting at a desk for several hours—sometimes all day! And with winter creeping up just around the corner, it’s important to stay on top of our health, even after the holidays have passed. When it’s gloomy and cold outside, it’s easy to forget (or ignore) things like working out or drinking enough water throughout the day. Plenty of articles out there will tell you how important it

So You Want to Build A Mobile App

November 11, 2016

It’s almost the end of 2016, and apps are everywhere. If you’re looking to create one of your own, you’re in luck! There are an abundance of choices for where to start. Some of our developers attended a talk given by Mike Cerny, a C# expert and mobile developer. At this talk, Cerny discussed five different ways of developing a mobile app, each with different levels of performance, access to device functions, and ease of development. Here are the five ways to develop a mobile app in order of performance (starting with the fastest): Native Platform—using Swift or Objective C in iOS, or Java in Android. Cross-compiled Native Code—write in another language that you like, and compile it for the

Help Welcome New Members of Our Team

October 4, 2016

As part of enhancing your experience with infrastructure management and technical support, Twin State Technical Services has added several new faces this September. New employees joining the infrastructure team include Network Engineers Jake Sellers and Brien Rakoci. Jake is a 2015 graduate in Computer Science from University of Iowa. Brien is a professional Information Systems Manager who has moved with his family from Arizona to hometown Illinois. We have also added to service through our Help Desk with new full-time employee Mark Vonholt—a Computer Science graduate from Western Illinois University—as well as moving our summer intern from St. Ambrose University, Brett Hippler, to a part-time position on Help Desk.

Congratulations to Reader’s Choice Winners!

September 27, 2016

At Twin State, we want to celebrate the achievements of not only our employees, but the clients we work with. In a recent addition of the QC Times, several of our clients were voted as Reader’s Choice winners in a number of categories. In Beauty, Haus of Hair won Honorable Mention for Best Hair Salon and 5ive Star Salon Spa won Runner Up for Best Spa. In Everyday Life, for Best Gym/Fitness Center/Yoga Studio, the YMCA was the overall winner. For Best Higher Education (Post High School), Scott Community College won an Honorable Mention. In Home and Garden, the overall winner for the Best Place to Buy a Hot Tub/Pool category was QCA Pools & Spas. In Best Ice Cream,

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Blog & Updates

Attention: Prevent Yourself from the Worldwide Cyber-Attack!

TEDx Goose Lake, 2017

Lisa Ploehn to receive Medal of Honor

Rivermont and Russell Construction to make QC history

Excitement for EICC urban campus project

2016 Tools of Our Trade – Web Developers

Keeping Your Office Healthy This Winter

So You Want to Build A Mobile App

Help Welcome New Members of Our Team

Congratulations to Reader’s Choice Winners!

Need IT Support That Moves As Fast As You Do?

SIGN UP FOR OUR TECH TALK eNEWSLETTER

Bite-sized Tech Wisdom.
Zero Geek Speak

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