Month: September 2017

Some terrific new features are about to arrive for Microsoft’s SharePoint Online and OneDrive solutions.  They’re sure to take your productivity to a bold new level.  

To say that technology has changed the way businesses operate is something of an understatement, even if they weren’t “techie” businesses to begin with.

SharePoint Online makes it easier to store, share and manage digital information.

OneDrive for Business is a similar option and allows you to store, sync and share work files from anywhere, on any device, at any time.

Both use a collection of cloud and web-based resources that would have seemed like something out of a science fiction film even a decade ago!

Thanks to solutions like these and others, suddenly “productivity” and “geography” are no longer as closely tied together as they once were. If you’re in the middle of an important product launch, but also happen to be halfway around the world, you no longer have to wait until you’re back in the office to get things done. You can be just as productive while sitting in an airport lounge waiting for your flight to take off as you can at your desk in the office.

The best part of all is that because these options are cloud-based, they’re being updated all the time to become even more valuable than they already were. For example, in just a few short weeks, Microsoft is going to begin adding support for special characters like “#” and %” to both SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business that enterprise users, in particular, will no doubt be thrilled about.

The Addition of “#” and “%”—What’s the Story?

Early in 2017, Microsoft announced that they were adding support for special characters like “#” and “%” for file and folder names across the document libraries that you’re already creating in SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business. This is something that we’ve long been clamoring for and will begin rolling out in October.

This will give you the ability to create, store and sync files containing these special characters with greater ease than ever before – regardless of whether they’re used as a prefix or suffix in a particular file or folder name.

This is a small but essential change, as it gives you a greater level of control over how files and folders are created in line with your own in-house organizational practices. Other solutions and even other operating systems have long supported characters like “#” and “%” in this way, so their addition to SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business is a welcome addition.

Savvy users are no doubt already aware that this feature has actually been available in an “opt-in” capacity since earlier in 2017. Starting in October, this feature will be turned on by default for those already using these solutions. The total global rollout is expected to be completed around March of 2018, along with Office 365 Roadmap ID 14656.

Do You Need More Time to Prepare?

Because this feature will be enabled by default in just a few short weeks’ time, some may need more time to prepare their in-house methods for the adjustment. Thankfully, this feature also has administrative controls that allow you to disable it at will, and enable again.

If you and your team need additional time to prepare for the change, go into the administration panel on your deployment and configure the feature to be “off by default” by the end of September 2017. Then, when the global rollout completes, you can go back in and enable it whenever you’re ready.

Guest Compatibility

Another new feature that’s slowly making its debut involves guest compatibility for Teams, something that affects not only SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business, but all the apps in the Office 365 productivity suite. Now you can add guest accounts for your pre-configured Teams at will so they can work under the same policies and protections as regular members.

This is perfect for people who want to bring a client or a new employee into the fold on a temporary basis, giving them access to certain resources in a limited capacity without making them a full-fledged member. Teams was originally launched in March of 2017 as Microsoft’s alternative to other workplace communication applications, with Slack being perhaps the most prominent example.

With the already robust feature set and support for options like special characters, and more being added all the time, it’s easy to see why SharePoint Online and OneDrive are widely used by businesses and other professionals all over the world.

If your business in {city} needs assistance with SharePoint Online, OneDrive, or other Microsoft solutions, please don’t delay. Contact {company} today at (469) 635-5500 or {email}. We can help you accomplish your goals with the right IT solutions.

Here is a description of how Mobile Device Management Platform is being used to boost security in small and big firms all around the world.

Mobile device management (MDM) is a term used to administer mobile devices such as tablets, smartphones, laptops, and desktop computers. MDM is usually implemented using third-party software.

Why it is Necessary.

MDM is used to ensure that employees are productive and that they do not breach company policy. Most organizations use the MDM platform to control the activities of their employees that might have an effect on their operations. Such a platform is mainly concerned with segregating corporate data, securing documents, and emails, and enforcing corporate policies. Most of the areas it deals with are to do with the security of an organization. The implementation can be on-premises or via the cloud.

Some of its functionality can include the configuration settings of applications on mobile devices. In recent years, providers of MDM platforms have added desktops and laptops to the list of devices they manage.

By protecting and controlling the data and the settings on applications for all devices connected to a network, MDM can cut down support costs and the risks a business is exposed to. The primary goal of an MDM platform is to optimize security in an organization while cutting down costs. With mobile devices flooding the market and a part of business operations, having a tool that lets you monitor the device is necessary.

Find the Balance with MDM.

Data security and preventing data leaks have been the main driving force for MDM platforms. In recent years, a lot has been achieved in this area. The various MDM platforms can manage the security of devices without reducing functionality. The MDM works for both corporate-owned devices and personal devices. With robust control of your security, you can prevent the loss of sensitive data that could have an impact on your competitiveness.

Have some Clear Goals in Mind.

As you search for an MDM platform, you will discover that there are many of them out there and they all have unique approaches to managing the security of your data. All of the approaches will have their weaknesses and their strengths. However, you need to understand the goals you have before making your choice. One of your main goals should be to secure your data while providing a simple and efficient user experience for users of the network.

Improve the Security of Your Data.

When an organization decides to implement an MDM, security is usually its primary goal. Some of the measures that an organization can take to improve security are to enforce encryption and a passcode. Additionally, it should have the means to wipe the device if it is stolen or lost. These are the basic features offered on a standard MDM platform. However, some advanced MDM platforms such as Maas 360 also have some extra features. For instance, it can restrict copy-pasting, taking screenshots, blacklisting, and whitelisting apps, and even limit the access time of some apps by the time of day.

With the rise of infections amongst mobile devices, it is important to get only the best. It is estimated that there are 16 million infected devices around the world at any given time.

Some of the Measures an Organization Can Take to Secure Mobile Devices.

While an MDM platform is great, users still need to take some steps to ensure that they are secure. Here are some of the things organizations can do to stay safe:

• Hold seminars to educate employees about app security. Inform employees about the dangers of downloading third-party apps and the risks of having weak device permissions on a device.
• Restrict employees from downloading applications from authorized sources only. This can be sources such as Google Play, the App Store, and the organization’s app store. The rule needs to be enforced at all times when possible.
• Act quickly if something goes wrong. It is important to have automated policies for mobile devices when it is discovered that a device is compromised or has a malicious app installed.

Keep Work Data separate from Personal Data.

If an organization decides that it will make use of an MDM platform, employees may raise issues to do with the privacy of their data. For instance, they may wonder if the organization will now have access to their private emails, their photos, and texts. On some of the most sophisticated MDM platforms such as MaaS360, it is possible to create user environments that keep personal and work data separate.

This is known as containerization. In essence, the MD creates a sandbox where all company activities are supposed to take place. When the employee leaves the sandbox or has their device stolen, a selective wipe can be done to ensure that all corporate data is removed from the device. Personal data will not be affected by the wipe. It is important that all employees understand the importance of MDM platforms in securing organizational data.

The Benefits of Central Management.

Whether the IT department runs the MDM platform or the work is outsourced, the ability to manage everything from a central point is ideal for efficiency. It also eliminates the cost and headache of trying to manage each device individually.

Picking the MDM.

While many SMEs continue to embrace MDM, many of them know that a one size fits all solution is not possible. Besides that, with evolving security threats, it is important to choose a platform wisely.

Get the right experts to help you make your choice. They can help you make just the perfect choice for your security needs. Besides that, they can contribute to managing the MDM for you. Trying to choose from among the top vendors of MDM platforms by yourself can prove to be quite a nightmare.

Summary.

Employee devices are here to stay, and they will continue to play a crucial role in the workforce. It is thus up to businesses to come up with a way to manage them before they cause a major security breach. MDM platforms are the perfect tool to ensure that an organization can reduce the risk of leaked data.

Check out the most advanced security tactics in the fight against hackers for companies like yours.

One of the worst things about malware is that it never stays the same. There’s always a new threat, vulnerability, or revised virus cropping up. But there’s good news—A lot of innovation is happening in the world of cybersecurity Let’s take a look at some of the latest advances and how they can help businesses like yours in the fight against hackers.

The “White Worm” Approach

For a while now, universities in countries like Sweden, Denmark, and Russia have been studying the Mirai worm, an annoying piece of malware that crept into programs and wreaked havoc. However, security experts at these universities had a good idea—What if they could turn Mirai into a vaccine to use against similar types of worms?

It’s not exactly a new idea, but it is finally showing real-world success. The White Worm Project created a vaccine that uses Mirai-like capabilities to access devices and search for vulnerabilities. However, instead of exploiting those vulnerabilities, the new software (called AntibIoTic for its smart-device application) adds an extra security code instead. The code alerts device owners about potential problems and changes the authorization settings so malware can’t get in.

Additional white worms can be designed to shore up lagging security, warn users about new threats, preemptively protect devices, and more. The future of anti-malware is looking a lot better!

Advanced Machine Learning AI (Artificial Intelligence)

If you’ve kept up on the latest malware developments and security solutions, you’ve probably heard about machine learning and AI programs. Large security organizations are now using AI programs to identify aberrations. These aberrations are numerous and customizable, and focus on any out-of-the-ordinary activity from both software and account users. They indicate anything from malware attacks to identity theft, so the “AI approach” has very quickly become popular. If you receive threat intelligence reports from Microsoft Office 365, you’ve benefited from this technology.

The software adapts based on what it learns. For example, AI software might send 10 alerts to a security administrator. The administrator notes that five of these threats are false positives (ordinary activity that’s just a little unusual, but not threatening). The AI uses its machine-learning capabilities to include this information in its future scans—adding more accuracy over time to pinpoint the security problem.

VM Browsers

Browsers get hit with a lot of malware that can be challenging to block. One new solution that’s getting praise from security experts is a VM (virtual machine) browser approach. In this case, a business only allows browsers to be used when they’re opened in a virtual machine. A VM is created with each new browsing session. If malware manages to make it through the browser, it will get stuck in the VM and be destroyed when the browser session is complete. This approach is interesting because it also allows for the possibility of popular “security browsers” to be used at the professional level, a trend that’s just off the horizon.

Email Authentication

DMARC or Domain Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance is a term you can expect to hear frequently in the near future. It’s an email authentication standard that helps companies to secure their email (to prevent hackers from spoofing them for phishing attacks) and confirm the emails of others (to stop incoming phishing attacks). Customized authentication standards open the path to better and faster security for businesses worldwide.

Architectural Security

The Internet of Things (IoT) is defined as a pervasive and ubiquitous network which enables monitoring and control of the physical environment by collecting, processing, and analyzing the data generated by sensors or smart objects. While many existing security technologies and solutions can be leveraged in a network architecture, there are unique challenges in the IoT space. Architectural security refers to how the Internet of Things is set up. It’s about designing and producing smart devices with security in mind – making them more difficult to access, and with communication features that decrease the likelihood of an attack.

Encrypted Detection

If you’ve attended any of the latest security conferences, you’ve probably heard talk about encrypted detection. However, encrypted data is hard to scan for signs of hacking. In the past security solutions had to unencrypt data and analyze it for threats, or just let the encrypted data pass and hope it didn’t include anything dangerous. Modern solutions have found ways to search for threats in encrypted data, without compromising its encryption. This is a big deal for companies that want to protect their data – especially wireless data –and should soon become standard once the last few wrinkles are ironed out.

Security as Development

During program development, security is often added on after the core workings of the program are already complete. This is problematic – it tends to create a lot more vulnerabilities. We’re finally seeing a concerted demand for developers to start including security aspects in their initial coding. This new standard could help secure many of the applications on the market.

Do you need help with data security for your business in {city}? The team at {company} understands these challenges.  We’ll work with you to create a comprehensive security plan to protect your business from data breaches, malware or other cyber threats.  Contact our security professionals at (469) 635-5500 or {email} to schedule your no-obligation consult.