Blog

Every month, we host Microsoft Office and other technology training sessions. Our training sessions are completely free of charge and are available “on-demand”.  Yes, you can tune-in whenever and wherever you like.

This month’s training session: 4 Ways To Use Microsoft Outlook Efficiently.

Our in-house Microsoft training specialist, Dawn, will guide you through some very important tips and tricks, such as:

• Quick Parts
• Templates
• Automated Responses
• Signatures

Are you already experiencing the time-saving collaboration tools and productivity tools in Microsoft Teams? Wait until you see the 2019 Microsoft Teams Update.

It’s no secret to you that no one is an island when it comes to getting complex jobs done within an organization. But coordinating team efforts, keeping everyone on the same page and working efficiently is always challenging. On top of that, mobile devices have freed us from the confines of our office spaces, allowing people to work from anywhere. But this often means that team members may not be in the same room, same building or even on the same continent.

Microsoft Teams, which was released in 2017, was built with the modern mobile, collaborative office in mind. It sought to rein in all of that chaos with intuitive team collaboration tools that bring people together. It facilitates the ability of teams to effectively accomplish tasks and meet deadlines. Now, they’ve done it again with their 2019 release of new team features for Windows, macOS, Android and iOS. Let’s looks at some of these exciting, collaboration and productivity tools.

MyAnalytics “Focus Time”

They’ve added a new feature to the already helpful MyAnalyics portion the Microsoft Teams. In case you’re not familiar, MyAnalytics helps your team members stay focused, work smarter and accomplish their goal more efficiently by keeping them moving in the right direction.

“Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hour days.”
Zig Ziglar

MyAnalytics delivers AI-powered productivity suggestions based upon the individual’s work patterns. This tool isn’t about getting people to work harder and never take a break. On the contrary, it helps them learn their patterns and discover where time gets wasted so that they can make the best use of work time and have more time for play (off the clock of course).

Using machine learning this tool now suggests the best times for a person to focus uninterrupted, automatically changes their status to “focus” and turns off all notifications during that time.

This tool helps individuals who may feel overwhelmed reclaim their days with less stress and higher productivity.

MyAnalytics is not a management tool. You won’t be able to see the data of employees. But the motivated employee will use it to maximize performance.

Microsoft Teams Rooms “Content Cameras and Intelligent Capture”

No more squinting to see the whiteboard or slides in traditional video conferencing. This improved whiteboarding feature makes it easier for people in multiple locations to view whiteboard information clearly and simultaneously during meetings. This advanced technology requires minimal setup and works automatically. When launched, the tool detects a whiteboard in the frame, crops it and superimposes it over the video.

Meetings First for Skype for Business Server Customers

The new Meetings First feature makes it easy for you to continue a meeting on the Skype for Business Server while moving the workload for the meeting to the Cloud. That means no interruptions or lost productivity. Continue with your chat while viewing information.

Share Audio

Adding videos and audio to Powerpoints has historically been problematic for team members in remote locations. They end up hearing grainy, echoing second-hand audio as speakers pass sound to a microphone then back to their speakers.

A new Microsoft Team Update changes that. Team members will now hear the audio directly through their speakers. So add videos, sound effects, music and more to your PowerPoint without hesitation.

Branded App Development (Developer View)

Businesses thrive when they have tools that they can customize to meet their unique business needs. Microsoft Teams allows you to fully integrate third-party apps into the software and/or develop your own apps to further customize your Microsoft Teams experience. In early 2019 Microsoft released developer preview mode that allows a developer to view the app experience in real-time and are further rolling out the third-party app experience in late 2019.

Explore the Many Productivity Features that Microsoft Teams Has to Offer

We’ve only discussed some of the latest productivity tools added to Teams in the 2019 Microsoft Teams Update as well as a few of the existing feature you may not yet have explored.

If you’re already using Microsoft Teams, these new features will further enhance your team experience. If you aren’t currently using Microsoft Teams, know that we’ve just scratched the service on this innovative, intuitive and practical set of tools. Isn’t it time that your team had the tools it needs to work smarter? It’s time to get Teams or explore the latest that Microsoft Teams Update has to offer.

Ransomware attacks are growing a staggering 350% each year. And to make matters worse, 43% of all cyber-attacks are aimed at small businesses. Why? Because more often than not, they don’t have the budget or expertise to protect themselves.

Fortunately, knowledge is prevention in situations like this. Even if you don’t have an unlimited amount of money to spend on enterprise-grade security solutions, you’re able to stand a chance as long as your staff members are trained.

After all, human errors are the biggest vulnerability when it comes to staying safe online.

You never know… One of the tips outlined in the video might be just the thing to prevent you from becoming a victim of an attack that would otherwise cost you thousands of dollars.

If you have questions, hit the “reply” button and let me know.

Businesses nowadays collect an incredible volume of data from various sources, including online sales, in-store-transactions, social media, and various other places.

So how do you find value in that data? The simple answer: Organizing it properly within worksheets.

Ready to unlock the potential of your data? If you want to analyze and make sense of the information you’re storing, here’s how…

Watch Our Microsoft Excel Tips and Techniques Video

In the video above, we teach you how to link several worksheets together within one workbook AND how to link data across multiple workbooks to:

• Reduce errors
• Save time
• Improve data integrity

Click here to watch online

Questions? Feel free to reach out to us at any time.

Why Google Chrome Users Should be Concerned About Security Patches

Does Your Organization Use Google Chrome? Find Out Why Recent Security Flaws Have Created an Urgent Need to Update Your Devices’ Browsers Immediately  

If users in your organization use Google Chrome, there is a high chance that several of those systems are creating an opportunity for hackers to install malware. Google recently identified a major security flaw with its Chrome browser that impacts Windows, Mac, and Linux-based devices. Although Google has released a security patch to correct the security vulnerabilities, the patch fixes two separate problems.

Security Vulnerabilities

One of the security vulnerabilities Google identified is Chrome’s audio component. The other vulnerability is tied to the browser’s PDF library. Both allow unwanted modifications or corruptions to memory data. This allows hackers to elevate privileges on the device or within applications installed on the device. If someone is able to gain administrative access to a system or software on a system, the individual could make unwanted changes or wreak havoc on the device’s operating system. There is also a high chance that a hacker could install malware or execute malicious code on the device.

Version

The version of the browser that fixes the security issues is 78.03904.87. Although the Chrome browser may be configured to automatically update itself in the background upon launch, it is a good idea to manually check each device. The browser can be manually checked by selecting the Help menu and then “About Google Chrome.” If there is an update available, the browser will automatically search for it and find it. The browser’s version will also be displayed in the “About” section. If the listed version is 78.03904.87 or later, then the device has received the necessary security patch.

If there are problems with the browser updating, it may need to be removed from the system and reinstalled. Some organizations have an automatic process to uninstall and reinstall applications from the server once the devices connect to the organization’s network. Reports can be run to see which systems still have outdated versions and technicians should manually check those systems to diagnose why automatic updates are not going through.

Other Considerations

A system that is not receiving automatic updates from Google Chrome may have other issues. Technicians should check for the following:

• Is the anti-malware program up to date and running correctly?
• Is the OS receiving approved updates and are these updates installing?
• When was the last time the system pinged the network?
• Has the system been restarted recently?
• If the system has been disconnected from the organization’s network, how long has it been offline?
• Has a malware scan recently been run? Were any malicious items identified and removed?
• Are there are any suspicious executables or unauthorized programs installed?

Sometimes wiping a system and completely reinstalling the OS are the best courses of action. Signs that a device may be too infected, corrupted, or outdated include the presence of unauthorized or suspicious applications, more than 100 pending OS updates or a previous update date that is more than a month old, and an anti-malware program that will not update or run a scan correctly. Before wiping a system and reinstalled the OS, a technician should check for and back up any user data that may be installed on the device’s hard drive. However, the data should be carefully scanned for any malware infections prior to transferring it back onto the system.