Resources
Free IT resources for Texas business owners
Practical, no-fluff resources to help your team work faster and stay secure — free to use and share.
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Blog & Tech Tips
Plain-English advice on technology, cybersecurity, and running a business that isn't derailed by IT.
Read the blog →Video Tutorials
Short how-to videos from the Braintek team — quick fixes and tips you can use today.
Watch & learn →Free Books
Full-length guides from the Braintek team — yours free.
Cybersecurity Protecting Your Business Against Hackers
How hackers really get into small businesses — and the plain-English playbook to stop them.
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CMMC & Compliance Shielding Systems: Navigating CMMC & Managed IT
CMMC compliance without the panic — a clear guide for businesses in the defense supply chain.
Get the free book →Cheat Sheets
Free, printable quick-reference guides for the tools your team uses every day.
Windows 11 Keyboard Shortcuts Cheat Sheet
A free, printable Windows 11 keyboard shortcuts cheat sheet — the essential shortcuts that save your team time every day. From Braintek in Houston.
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Windows 10 Keyboard Shortcuts Cheat Sheet
A free, printable Windows 10 keyboard shortcuts cheat sheet — the essential shortcuts that save time every day. From Braintek, Houston & DFW managed IT support.
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Excel Keyboard Shortcuts Cheat Sheet
Every essential Excel keyboard shortcut on one page. See them all here, then download the free printable PDF version to keep at your desk.
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Word Keyboard Shortcuts Cheat Sheet
A free, printable Microsoft Word keyboard shortcuts cheat sheet — the shortcuts that speed up every document. From Braintek, Houston & DFW IT support.
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PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts Cheat Sheet
A free, printable PowerPoint keyboard shortcuts cheat sheet — build slides faster and run the show like a pro. From Braintek, Houston & DFW IT support.
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Outlook Keyboard Shortcuts Cheat Sheet
A free, printable Microsoft Outlook keyboard shortcuts cheat sheet — get through email faster and jump between mail, calendar, and tasks.
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Claude AI Cheat Sheet — Write Prompts That Actually Work
A practical Claude AI cheat sheet: a prompt ladder with real example responses, plus self-improvement tricks. From Braintek in Houston.
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ChatGPT Cheat Sheet — Write Prompts That Actually Work
A practical ChatGPT cheat sheet: a prompt ladder with real example responses, data-analysis tips, and self-improvement tricks. From Braintek.
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Google Gemini Cheat Sheet — Write Prompts That Actually Work
A practical Google Gemini cheat sheet — a prompt ladder with real example responses, plus Deep Research and Workspace tips. From Braintek in Houston.
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Grok AI Cheat Sheet — Write Prompts That Actually Work
A practical Grok (xAI) cheat sheet: a prompt ladder with real example responses, plus self-improvement tricks. From Braintek in Houston.
Get it free →AI & Automation Guides
Plain-English guides to putting AI and automation to work in your business — safely.
AI Assistants Compared: Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini & Grok
A plain-English comparison of the five major AI assistants — what each one is, what it's best at, and which fits your business. From Braintek in Houston.
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What Is EBITDA, and How Do You Get It Out of QuickBooks?
QuickBooks Online has no EBITDA report. See where each add-back lives on your P&L, calculate EBITDA and your margin, and let AI build a one-page summary.
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How to Write AI Prompts That Actually Get You What You Want
Write better AI prompts with a simple framework that works on ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, Gemini and Grok. Examples, a prompt ladder, and meta-prompting tricks.
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The Excel Report Tax
Rebuilding the same QuickBooks or ERP report in Excel every week has a real cost. See what manual reporting costs you and how a live AI dashboard ends it.
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Connecting to the QuickBooks API: Get Your Keys and Test the Connection
Get your QuickBooks Online API credentials, test the connection in Postman, and pull the Profit and Loss report you need for EBITDA. Part 2 of our series.
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From Database to Dashboard with AI
Your numbers live in QuickBooks, your CRM, and spreadsheets. See how AI and APIs turn that scattered data into a live dashboard you can ask in plain English.
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Building Your Own EBITDA Dashboard from the QuickBooks API
Build a live EBITDA dashboard from the QuickBooks Online API with Claude Code: OAuth, a date-range picker, automatic add-back math, and a 12-month trend. Part 3.
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AI Beyond Chatting: Build Real Apps by Conversation
Most people use AI as a chatbot. The real unlock is building working software — games, websites, internal tools — just by describing what you want.
Read the guide →Sharing Your EBITDA Dashboard With Your Team: What Actually Breaks in Production
Moving your QuickBooks EBITDA dashboard from your laptop to a real, shared, production connection. The steps that make it real, and the gotcha that breaks it.
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Claude in Excel — Your AI Spreadsheet Analyst
A plain-English guide to Claude in Excel — what it does, how to turn it on, and the exact prompts to fix formulas, run scenarios, and clean up messy data.
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How to Customize Your Tesla's On-Screen Avatar With Your Company Logo
Put your company logo on the Tesla touchscreen avatar with a custom wrap. Step-by-step Model Y guide: template, USB trick, Toybox Paint Shop, AI design tips.
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Build Your Own Website With AI
A practical lab for building a modern, SEO-optimized website with AI — plan, design, build, and launch. No coding required. From Braintek in Houston.
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AI-Search Marketing (GEO): Getting Found by AI Answer Engines
A plain-English guide to AI-search marketing and GEO — how to get your business cited by ChatGPT, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews. From Braintek in Houston.
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We Send Prospects a Personalized AI Video Before We Ever Say Hello
How Braintek built a system that sends prospects a custom AI-generated video, in their name, about their business, within about 70 seconds of booking a call.
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How Much Does Managed IT Cost for a 10 to 50 Employee Construction Company in Houston?
Managed IT pricing for a 10 to 50 employee Houston construction company, by device and mailbox count, plus what changes the price: jobsites, servers, and construction software.
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Which IT Company Supports Jonas Construction Software in Houston and Dallas–Fort Worth?
IT support for the environment around Jonas construction software: servers, SQL, remote access, backups, and security for Houston and DFW contractors.
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How Can Construction Companies Use AI to Automate RFIs, Change Orders, Invoice Processing, and Project Reporting Safely?
A safe, staged approach for construction companies to automate RFIs, change orders, and invoice processing with AI, with the security controls to keep humans approving every financial and contractual decision.
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What Should a Managed IT Package for a Construction Company Include?
The 8 components a construction company's managed IT package should cover: help desk, jobsite connectivity, cybersecurity, backup, and construction software support.
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Should a Construction Company Choose Fully Managed or Co-Managed IT Support?
Fully managed vs. co-managed IT for construction companies: which fits a company with no internal IT, one IT person, or a small internal team, and why.
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How Long Does It Take to Switch IT Providers Without Disrupting Active Construction Projects?
A realistic timeline for switching IT providers as a construction company without disrupting active jobsites: discovery, parallel run, cutover, and stabilization.
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What Cybersecurity Controls Does a Construction Company Need for Cyber Insurance?
The cybersecurity controls carriers require before they'll write or renew a construction company's cyber policy: MFA, EDR, immutable backups, and more.
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How Should Construction Companies Back Up Jonas, Microsoft 365, SQL Databases, and Project Files?
How to back up construction systems properly: Jonas and SQL databases, Microsoft 365, CAD and project files, and jobsite photos, with real retention numbers.
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How Do You Set Up Secure Internet, Wi-Fi, and Remote Access for a Construction Jobsite Trailer?
How to set up a jobsite trailer network properly: LTE/5G or Starlink internet, segmented Wi-Fi, MFA-protected remote access, real costs and timelines.
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What Computers, Servers, and Network Specifications Are Needed for AutoCAD and SOLIDWORKS?
Real workstation specs for AutoCAD and SOLIDWORKS in 2026: CPU, RAM, GPU tiers with cost ranges, plus what the file server and network actually need.
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How Can Construction Companies Protect Against Email Fraud, Invoice Scams, and Payment Diversion?
How construction companies stop payment diversion fraud: verbal verification of banking changes, MFA, DMARC, mailbox alerts, and what to do in the first hour.
Read the guide →How Fast Should an IT Company Respond When Something Breaks?
Real IT response time benchmarks: phone answered in about a minute, a technician working urgent issues within 10-15 minutes, email tickets in about two hours.
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How Should a Manufacturing Company Choose an IT Support Provider in Houston or DFW?
A five-factor framework and 100-point scorecard for manufacturers comparing MSPs in Houston or DFW: response, experience, onsite reach, security, resilience.
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Should a Manufacturing Company Hire Internal IT or Outsource to an MSP?
Internal IT vs. MSP for manufacturers: the real cost of an in-house hire, the coverage problem, and when co-managed IT is the smarter middle path.
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What Should a Managed IT Agreement Include for a Manufacturing Company?
The 5 things a manufacturer's IT agreement must put in writing: covered inventory, response targets, security stack, exclusions, and vendor coordination.
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How Fast Should an MSP Respond When a Manufacturing Company Has an IT Problem?
What response times a manufacturer should expect from an MSP: priority tiers by business impact, the three numbers to track, and what to demand in writing.
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How Should Manufacturers Support AutoCAD and SOLIDWORKS Teams Without Slowing Down Engineering?
A practical support playbook for AutoCAD and SOLIDWORKS teams: a diagnostic framework, driver discipline, vendor coordination, and remote CAD performance.
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How Do You Fix Unreliable Wi-Fi in a Warehouse or Manufacturing Facility?
Why warehouse Wi-Fi fails and how to fix it: wireless assessment first, design for metal and machinery, test real scanners, plan roaming, then monitor.
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How Should a Houston Manufacturer Prepare Its IT Systems for Hurricanes, Freezes, and Power Outages?
A five layer IT continuity plan for Houston manufacturers: power protection, redundant connectivity, verified backups, staff coverage, and recovery drills.
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What Should a Manufacturing Company Ask an MSP About Onsite Support Before Signing?
The 10 onsite support questions a manufacturer should ask any MSP before signing: technician location, dispatch triggers, cost structure, and coordination.
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How Much Does Managed IT Cost for a Manufacturing Company in Houston or DFW?
Managed IT pricing for Houston and DFW manufacturers: $150 to $250 per device per month plus mailboxes, with worked examples for 25 and 50 person shops.
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How Much Does Managed IT Cost for a CPA or Accounting Firm in Houston or DFW?
Managed IT pricing for Houston and DFW CPA and accounting firms: $150 to $250 per device per month plus mailboxes, with worked examples for 10 and 25 person firms.
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How Should a CPA or Accounting Firm Choose an IT Provider in Houston or DFW?
A 100-point scorecard for CPA and accounting firms comparing IT providers in Houston or DFW: Safeguards Rule experience, tax season coverage, email security, and more.
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Should an Accounting Firm Hire Internal IT or Use an MSP?
Internal IT vs. managed IT for accounting firms: what one hire can and can't cover, FTC Safeguards, tax season coverage, and when co-managed IT wins.
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What Should a Managed IT Agreement for a CPA Firm Include?
The clauses a CPA firm needs in its managed IT agreement: scope, response expectations, data ownership, confidentiality, FTC Safeguards support, and exit terms.
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What Does the FTC Safeguards Rule Require of a CPA Firm?
What the FTC Safeguards Rule requires of CPA firms and tax preparers: a written security program, a qualified individual, MFA, encryption, and how IRS Pub 4557 fits in.
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How Should a CPA Firm Get Its IT Ready for Tax Season?
A tax season IT readiness checklist for CPA firms: hardware and software upgrades 90 days out, seasonal staff access 30 days out, a change freeze during season, and teardown after.
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Who Provides IT Support for Tax and Accounting Software in Houston and DFW?
Who supports QuickBooks, tax prep suites, and hosted desktops at a CPA firm? How the vendor and your IT provider split the work, and what accounting IT services cover.
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How Do Accounting Firms Stop Wire Fraud and Business Email Compromise?
How CPA firms stop wire fraud and BEC: callback verification for every payment change, MFA, DMARC, mailbox rule monitoring, and the first-hour response if money moves.
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How Should an Accounting Firm Back Up QuickBooks, Tax Software, Microsoft 365, and Client Files?
How accounting firms should back up QuickBooks, tax software, Microsoft 365, and client documents: application-aware backups, version matching, and restore testing.
Read the guide →Plain-English Explainers
The jargon, decoded — what it means and why it matters for your business.
How AI + APIs Work Together
A plain-English guide to how AI uses APIs to take action and pull live data from your CRM, accounting, and ticketing systems — written for business owners.
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What Is an API? (In Plain English)
What is an API, in plain English? A simple guide for business owners on what APIs are, why they matter, and how they connect your tools and automate work.
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What Is OAuth 2.0? (In Plain English)
What is OAuth 2.0, in plain English? How the login-and-approve screen behind QuickBooks and Microsoft 365 works, and why it's safer than a password.
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What Is JSON? (In Plain English)
What is JSON, in plain English? A simple guide to the format APIs and AI tools use to pass data around, why it looks the way it does, and why you'll see it everywhere.
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Cybersecurity & IT Terms in Plain English
Cybersecurity terms in plain English — a business owner's glossary of common IT and security acronyms: firewall, VPN, MFA, SIEM, endpoint protection and more.
Read it →Built with AI
Real things we built with AI — proof of what's possible when you put it to work.
How I Built a Card Game With AI — Without Writing a Line of Code
A Houston MSP owner built a multiplayer online card game in a weekend using Claude, Gemini, and AI tools — no coding. Here's the exact tool-by-tool process.
See how →
I Built a Dungeon-Crawler Game With AI — Just by Talking to It
How I built Emberfall, a turn-based dungeon crawler, entirely by chatting with AI — no code by hand. The real prompts and what they mean for you.
See how →Ready for IT that just works?
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