Month: May 2018

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CYBER THEFT, A REAL THREAT TO SMALL BUSINESSES

Cybercrime is no longer a new phenomenon. The zeal with which cybercriminals have committed these offenses in the past has led to an outcry from businesses and organizations. Cybercriminals are constantly on the prowl for new sites to attack. They are continuously improving their methods of attack. To make matters worse, this type of crime is very difficult to solve. The attacks themselves become more sophisticated as the days go by. Many experts are searching for real solutions; permanent solutions.

Cyber Threats To Small Business

The threat to small businesses

While many organizations have put in place various measures to prevent this crime, a look at the statistics reveals that only large organizations are really doing everything they need to do. Smaller companies either think they can’t afford good protection or don’t need it. The best protection from cyber breaches is expensive. It requires training for employees, risk assessment, and the installation of a good array of programs that can detect and prevent intrusion. There are ways that small businesses can get the same top-notch protection as a large organizations. And, it is imperative that they do so. A big data breach could cost your company millions of dollars. Most experts say that it’s not a matter of IF you get attacked; it’s just a matter of WHEN.

How real is the threat?

The threat of a cyberattack is a lingering one despite the amount of protection that one invests in. That’s because the nature of this crime is to evolve with each new attack. This is why most business owners prefer to invest in protection services with the ability to detect cybercrime before it occurs. The Verizon Data Breach Investigation Report shows that the threat of cyberattacks on small businesses is much greater than small business owners anticipate. This group states that up to 61% of cyber security breaches were experienced by small businesses last year. This was an 8% rise from 53% in the previous year.

Cost of cyber-attacks on small businesses

While small businesses fail to invest in protection systems because of the costs, it is noteworthy that the amount of money lost as a result of cyberattacks is considerably higher. The ransomware attack is a great example of this fact. One ransomware attack can stop your workforce in its tracks. Your data will be locked until you pay. Some thieves threaten to release your internal documents to the public. This caused a huge amount of embarrassment for Sony Pictures after their 2014 data breach. The North Koreans took responsibility for this breach, claiming that they did not like a movie that Sony was about to release where the North Korean dictator was to be made fun of.

In the end, the damage to Sony was more about being embarrassed before the whole world. Sony’s reputation was severely damaged. Though large companies like Sony can survive an attack like this, small companies cannot. A new study shows that cyberattacks cost on average, $38,000 per attack. Below are a few other stats pertaining to small businesses and data breaches:

  • 23 percent lost business opportunities after an attack.
  • 29 percent lost revenue; 38 percent of those lost more than 20 percent.
  • 22 percent of businesses lost customers; 40 percent lost more than 20 percent of their customer base.

In some cases, small businesses must close their doors within a few months of the attack. Small business owners are only just realizing how vulnerable they are. This is due to the fact that most small businesses are easy targets for hackers. They simply don’t have sophisticated enough data protection programs in place.

What can you do about it?

The first step for any small business is to invest in effective cyber security software. These should be installed on all computers and mobile devices. The second step is to install a remote computer backup. Always have recent copies of your database stored somewhere offsite. A remote computer backup makes recovery of data much simpler.

A third step is to test your data security systems and procedures regularly. This can be easily done through a gap analysis. A gap analysis will enable the business owner to know how effective the data protection system really is. It takes into consideration the detected threats and compares these with the protection system. It is also sensible to develop a data breach response plan. This should include a communications response plan.

Proper response in cases of data breach can save a company millions of dollars and protect customers. A good response plan can let everyone including stakeholders know what’s going on. The sooner your employees know what’s happening, the sooner they can shut down their computers and mobile devices so that the virus can’t spread. All computers and devices with company data should be disconnected from the network until the issues are resolved.

Cyber liability insurance can also come in handy in case of attacks. As we have noted, up to 60% of small businesses which experience cyber-attacks are forced out of business within six months of the attack. Cyber liability insurance will protect your assets.

Final thoughts

Small businesses are currently attractive to cybercriminals because of their lack of protection. When it comes to cyber security, it should be noted that prevention is definitely the best route. Though many prevention measures appear costly, it can save your company from going through a nightmare that will be expensive and damage your reputation.

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GDPR AND AMERICAN COMPANIES

Today is the day…doing business in the EU?  You need to be compliant with GDPR.

Watch our informative GDPR training online today.

GDPR Compliance

The General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) have made headlines for some time now and the deadline for compliance is fast approaching. Many have wondered why these regulations are so important and whether they will be affected. If your business is located in the United States or Canada, why do you need to be concerned?

What are the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)

The GDPR are European Union Data Protection Regulations designed to protect the personal data of consumers in Europe. The regulations have put in place various measures to ensure that personal data is well protected from hackers. In this age where the cases of hacking and cyber-crimes are on the rise, these measures are crucial. The new regulations will come into effect on 25th May, 2018.

These regulations govern various aspects of data handling. They govern methods of handling data collection, data storage, data processing and data destruction. These regulations apply even when there are no financial implications in the transaction. Many organizations will be affected including companies that monitor the behavior of EU residents. They also cover anyone in the world who does business with a company in Europe. This includes many Canadian and American companies. If your business buys, sells or transacts business with a European company, then you must adhere to the provisions of the GDPR.

What happens in the case of non-compliance?

The GDPR requires that all companies that handle or deal with personal data belonging to European Union citizens comply with the regulations. Companies that fail to comply with these regulations will receive penalties and fines. The penalty imposed is calculated based on the company’s global annual turnover of the preceding financial year. It is set at 4% of the global annual turnover of the company or €20 million whichever is greater for non-compliance. Companies that are found guilty of less serious breaches of the regulations are faced with a penalty of 2% of the company’s global annual turnover or €10 million, whichever is greater.

How do these regulations affect United States based companies?

The GDPR rules apply to all companies that deal with data affecting or belonging to EU citizens. This means that people who own data processing companies with a global outreach are affected by the regulations. As has been noted, simply collecting data, even before financial agreements are reached puts the company within the purview of these Regulations. The GDPR also affects companies that deal in surveillance and monitoring of behavior, so long as the data collected belongs to a citizen of the EU.

How to comply

Knowing that the GDPR applies to your company and that the penalties for non-compliance or for breach are dire, it is important that all companies affected by these regulations take steps to ensure compliance before the May 25th deadline. There are various ways of complying with these regulations including:

Conduct an audit of your company

This enables the owners of the company to decide exactly which steps to take to comply with the regulations. The questions that you need to ask yourself while conducting this audit include; how is your data collected, where do you store your data, why do you collect that particular kind of data and when you are done with the data, how is it destroyed?

Audit your data service providers

You need to be sure that your service providers are GDPR compliant. This will ensure that the services that they provide to your company adhere to the provisions of the regulations.

Be sure that you understand new regulations

One particular regulation that may differ from general data protection regulations is the right to be forgotten. This basically means that citizens of the European Union reserve the right to request that their data be deleted from computer servers. EU citizens also reserve the right to have their data kept in a particular format and to have it transferred to another company at their request.

Determine the data handler category in which you fall

The GDPR categorizes data in two distinct categories:

  • Data handler- defined as a company that processes personal data on behalf of a data controller
  • Data controller – the person with authority over the collected data

The controller decides which data should be collected, in what format the data should be collected, how the data is to be stored and used, and how it is to be destroyed. The GDPR stipulates different regulations for various categories of data handlers. Knowing the category in which you fall will thus enable you to know which regulations are applicable to you.

Final thoughts

If you have not read the General Data Protection Regulations, it’s important to do so as soon as possible. As you can see, the requirements for adherence are demanding and the cost of non-compliance is quite hefty. It’s vital for every company that does business in Europe to know and understand these regulations. European authorities have stated that they will impose stiff penalties to make an example of companies who do not comply.

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Is There A Company Offering Intrusion Detection In Dallas TX?

“If only I had known…”

It’s how every story of regret and pain begins.

Oddly enough, it’s the same sentiment that is expressed to the Data Magic Computer Services team every time we bring on a new client who has previously experienced a hack, ransomware, or some other form of data breach.

Knowing what to do to combat cybercrime is invaluable and having an early warning of danger can save your business.

Do you remember the cold war?

The USA and Russia were poised to annihilate each other with weapons pointed across both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

If you’re old enough, you remember training films in school that taught you to hide under your desk if there was a nuclear attack.

But what most people don’t remember is the DEW Line.

In Canada, Alaska, Greenland, and Iceland the remnants can still be found of radar installations that made up the Distant Early Warning line. It was the job of the radar operators stationed at these remote outposts to sound the alarm if planes from the USSR were on their way to attack the USA.

A lot has changed politically since those days, and maybe a lot has stayed the same.

But here’s the truth:

Your Dallas TX Business Cannot Do Without The Early Warning System Of Intrusion Detection!

The criminals are too good at their “job”, and the stakes are too high for you not to have an automated system that rings alarm bells when a criminal attempts an unauthorized entry of your network.

Have you got smoke detectors in your building?

“Of course I do!” you say.

“What kind of fool wouldn’t have smoke detectors in his business… It just makes sense.”

It’s the same with hiring a Dallas TX IT security specialist to implement intrusion detection hardware and software on your network.

It just makes sense.

What about a burglar alarm linked to a monitoring center that will call the police if needed? Do you have that?

Okay.

So, you get the idea.

Early detection of any emergency helps responders to deal with the situation at hand and mitigate the damage done by the intruder, fire, or in this case – the hacker.

What Is An Intrusion Detection System or IDS?

IDS is software – sometimes in combination with specialized hardware – that monitors your entire IT system to spot anything out of the ordinary or things happening that go against policies for your system that have been set by the system administrator. The two main types of intrusion detection systems are:

  • Network Intrusion Detection Systems – deals with traffic coming into the network
  • Host-Based Intrusion Detection Systems – deals with the operation of network system files

These systems work as monitors – watching for anything unusual, but monitoring is not the only thing that these systems do. Once you get past the lower-end, “alert only” systems, you get into intrusion detection systems that are more sophisticated and can respond immediately and appropriately to the “red flags” that they have noted.

This smart IDS technology is not only your company’s early warning but also your network’s first line of defense against unauthorized access.

Do Intrusion Detection Systems and Firewalls Do the Same Thing?

No. A firewall is there to keep intrusions from happening. A firewall stands between the incoming traffic and your networks and guards your business.

An intrusion detection system is different. An IDS watches the traffic that gets by the firewall and the internal network processes to identify variations in the patterns that shouldn’t be there. Once it spots one of those unwanted variations, it triggers an alert and launches the appropriate response.

How Do I Know If A Company Offering Intrusion Detection In Dallas TX Is Up To The Job Of Implementing, managing, and monitoring an IDS?

That’s a great question!

You’re a smart consumer, and you know that just because a company puts “We Do Intrusion Detection” on their website, doesn’t mean that they know what they are doing.

After all, cybersecurity is important, and you don’t want to be anyone’s guinea pig.

Here are some pointers when looking for a qualified IDS provider and IT consultant here in Dallas.

  1. Ask around. You will quickly hear the horror stories along with the happy reports of customers who have been well served by their cybersecurity specialists.
  2. Ask for references.
  3. Ask about industry certifications. IT techs don’t necessarily have to have a college degree, but the good ones have acquired certifications from software and hardware companies that show their proficiency on those devices and applications.
  4. Start small. Hire the company to do an IT security assessment of your business. When they have completed that assessment and satisfied you with their expertise, then you can move forward with a longer-term partnership with confidence.

Want to learn more about a fantastic company that offers intrusion detection in Dallas TX? We’re excited to get to know you too! Read more outstanding Data Magic Computer Services articles HERE.

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New Microsoft Excel Data Visualization Features That Experts Are Excited About

There is no denying how critical Microsoft Excel is for day-to-day data processing and visualizations across organizations. Still, many users are not as familiar with the complete functionality of this handy tool as they could be. Today’s users say they have a fairly good knowledge of Excel and yet Microsoft adds new features each year to make it even more useful. Most companies simply don’t have a decent Excel training program to keep their employees up-to-date on the latest new spreadsheet features.

The most recent version of Microsoft Excel – both on traditional offline Office platforms and the cloud-based environment Office 365 – have new charts that introduce a whole world of data visualization.

You’ll be happy to know that Excel opens in your web browser just like Word, OneNote, PowerPoint, and PDF documents – making it a breeze for you to work with your data in the cloud.

The new Excel charts that were recently added are pretty handy. It is well worth knowing how and when to utilize them. This guide will walk you through three of the best to be released this year.

Waterfall charts

Businesses and organizations always seek to understand their finances better so that they can make their revenue projections more effective. It is critical for them to assess how profits and losses play out at different financial periods. One way to quickly understand and communicate these sets of financial data is through the visualization of financial statements. This is where Waterfall Excel charts come in.

Waterfall charts allow you to quickly illustrate the line items available in your financial data in a manner that provides a clear picture of how each item impacts your bottom line. They help make it easier to understand the cumulative effect of positive and/or negative values that are sequentially introduced.

You could use a Waterfall chart to illustrate how the negative and positive values in your data cumulatively affect the totals or final value such as net income, for instance.

Normally, the outlays or losses that occur throughout the business period should appear as negative integers, while profits or gains are stipulated as positive figures in the Waterfall chart.

Here are some revenue data from the Seattle Art Museum that we will use in our illustration:

To create a Waterfall chart, select your data and head to the ‘Insert’ tab on the Excel ribbon. From there, navigate to the Charts section and click the Waterfall icon.

Once you do that, Excel inserts a Waterfall chart for you, with all the values in the dataset you selected.

Suppose we select the positive values above (first data set); Excel will automatically detect that these are all positive values and color them green as follows:

Notice however that Excel does not identify the last value (Total Operating Revenue) as a total; that’s why it has calibrated it with the same green color.

To resolve that issue, double-click on that total and check the box marked “Set as Total” in the Format Data Point pane that appears.

You’ll see that this action immediately updates the chart, changing the color of the total value from green to grey, reflecting that all the other values colored green actually accrue to that total.

If we follow the same procedure for the Total Operating Expense (second set of data), our final Waterfall chart would look something like this:

Treemaps

Treemaps are great for showing relationships between sets of data. They use colors to create a contrast between the data sets so that you can capture the information on a Treemap at a glance. Let’s use these ticket sales data from the Seattle Art Museum to illustrate what we’re saying:

As you can see, all the ticket sales have been divided into either online or onsite subcategories and the many different classifications of ticket types. By so doing, we are indicating to Excel how we want to organize our chart.

To create the Treemap chart, we have to first select our entire data, then head to the ‘Insert’ tab on the Excel ribbon, and navigate to the hierarchy map symbol. Click the symbol to automatically insert a Treemap chart showing different relationships between online and onsite ticket sales broken down by ticket type.

Map charts

Map Charts help you draw comparisons of values and show how categories compare across different geographical regions. This is to say you may use map charts only when your data have geographical regions included.

A map chart, for instance, would help us visualize the geographical distribution of revenue from the ticket sales above.

To create a Map chart, we would select our data, tap the Insert button and click the map symbol.

This automatically inserts a chloroplast chart with the selected data geographically distributed in it. We can further customize the chart by double-clicking the legend and using the options on the Format Legend Entry menu.

Conclusion

Graphical representation can be quite helpful when it comes to making comparisons of various sets of data or when you want to pinpoint a trend at a glance. With good knowledge of these charts, you have even more tools in your arsenal to take on any data analysis project.

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What Do You Know About Deep Web Scanning?

If you do a web search on “deep web scanning” the most likely results you will get are from credit bureau companies wanting to shine up their image after a recent hack left millions of people’s information exposed. Of course, in their rush to become the saviors of their own catastrophe, these companies have suddenly pushed their own deep web and dark web scanning services.

But before we get to more about the “scanning” part of our question, we should talk for a moment about the difference between the deep web and the dark web.

The deep web is any part of the internet that cannot be found by using browsers. Not all the deep web is bad or nefarious. In fact, companies legitimately choose not to list certain pages on websites as public because they add no sales or information value to the public. Usually this is back-end and process information that is useless to anyone but the company itself.

The dark web is a small portion of the deep web that requires special software and browser capability to access. This, of course, is the area of the internet where criminals buy and sell personal information that they have stolen, using untraceable crypto-currency for money.

Now that we understand the difference between the dark web and the deep web, let’s continue.

Scanning The Deep Web Is Both An Art And A Science.

The tools used by Data Magic Computer Services and others to scan the deep web for mentions of your name, your company name, and your personal information are complex and not nearly as simple as entering a search term into your Google browser. A deep web scan requires a combination of human operators to collect data from sites they have access to and bots that can scan some public channels. We make a note of this to say that it matters WHO you hire to do deep web scanning for your business. There are rookies out there trying to make a buck off of this latest identity theft scare. In addition, there are those companies who have a few simple tools and offer a deep web scanning service, but they don’t have the volume of deep web scanning work to keep up-to-date on this evolving service.

Is a Completely Automated Deep Web Scan Available?

Many companies – such as the credit bureaus noted above – are offering what on the surface seems to be a fully automated process for deep web scan. To put it bluntly, a fully automated deep web scan is not publicly available as of yet. Sure, there are tools that do some of the work, but human operators have to be involved. So naturally, you want to ensure that the deep web “experts” you hire truly are experts.

There is one automatic deep web scanning tool that beats all the rest. It’s called Memex and was built by the Department of Defense. But, for reasons of national security, it’s available to the military but not to the private sector.

What’s The Difference Between Deep Web Scanning And Dark Web Monitoring?

As we have already noted, the dark web is only a small part of the deep web.

When companies offer subscription “Dark Web Monitoring,” often what they mean is that they will regularly check sites that historically have been places where criminals have traded illegally gotten information. If pressed, these companies likely won’t tell you what sites they “monitor,” how often they check those sites for your specific information, and how often they check the rest of the deep and dark web for other illegal info trading sites that have popped up.

So when signing up to an automated “Dark Web Monitoring” subscription service online, be sure to do your homework. Big companies are making big money right now in this area and doing little to nothing to earn the money they are making from these monitoring subscription plans.

Deep web scanning, on the other hand, is more targeted in focus and broader in scope than dark web monitoring. IT professionals that offer deep web scanning put customized approaches together for their client to try to dig up specific information that the client wants to find on the deep and dark web. Most times, the goal is to see if criminals have access to personal and company information, but sometimes IT professionals are hired to do deep web scans to find information that is not readily available through a browser search – such as the theft and use of proprietary information by competitors.

Why Do Companies Hire Data Magic Computer Solutions to Perform Deep Web Scans?

The reasons that individual companies want to discover whether their information is available on the deep web are usually financial. Having said that, there are other legitimate reasons to engage the deep web scanning services of the Data Magic team.

  • Protect Your Reputation – Knowing what is in the hands of criminals is half the battle. By hiring a professional IT services team to perform deep web scans, you can discover what is out there and could be used against you and your company. Although that private information may not be able to be retrieved and protected, knowing that it’s there, you can take the next steps to protect yourself and your business.
  • Protect Your Proprietary Information – As we have already noted, the guarding of trade secrets is one of the reasons that companies engage the deep web scanning services of companies like Data Magic Computer Solutions. Finding your proprietary information online and taking action against those responsible before competitors can use it to their advantage is one way you can ensure competitive viability.
  • Protect Your Employees – Forward-thinking companies are now offering deep and dark web scanning as a part of their benefits package for their employees. By helping protect their employees, they, in turn, protect their own company’s productivity.
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Excel Like a Pro Webinar – Part 3

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Is Your Technology Company Talking to You About GDPR Compliance?

The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation goes into effect on May 25, 2018. Many U.S. and Canadian businesses have been working hard to meet the new GDPR guidelines., but it’s not clear if others have the technology in place to notify individuals that their data was breached within the required 72-hour period. This is one of the primary components of the 2018 GDPR. No matter how you look at it, three days can go by very quickly when it comes to sending out data-breach notifications, especially if you haven’t planned in advance.

Watch Our Free GDPR Training Online

GDPR ComplianceMany U.S. and Canadian businesses, even large enterprises, don’t always plan ahead and, instead, operate in a reactionary mode. Security professionals in the U.S. and Canada are concerned–The mandatory 72-hour GDPR breach-notification period has them worried because they don’t think most businesses are prepared.  The U.S. doesn’t have a national data-breach notification requirement. However, most states do require notification within 30 to 45 days. If businesses don’t comply, they will be fined 4% of their global revenue up to $20 million. Plus, the consumers whose data is breached can file class-action suits against them for noncompliance.

Experts know that the GDPR is something to take very seriously.

They believe that the regulators in the European Union will impose the largest fines they can and that they’ll make an example of organizations that lack compliance–and will do so within the first 90 days of the breach. This is much like the U.S. Health, and Human Services/Office of Civil Rights does with their “Wall of Shame” and HIPAA breaches of personally identifiable information (PII).

The GDPR requirements apply to any organization that does business in Europe and collects personally identifiable information on European citizens. It doesn’t only apply to large multi-national corporations; it applies to any business that has 250 or more employees. Smaller companies are typically exempt, except in the case where a data breach results in a risk to the rights and freedom of individuals, isn’t an occasional occurrence, or where the processing of data includes special categories like those relating to criminal offenses or convictions.

The 2018 GDPR replaces the old Data Protection Directive of 1995. The most recent GDPR breach notification requirement was enacted in April 2016.  It set a higher compliance standard for data inventory, and a defined risk management process and mandatory notification to data protection authorities.

Breach notification is a huge endeavor and requires involvement from everyone inside an organization. In-house tech support and outsourced Technology Service Providers should have acquired a good understanding of the consequences a data breach causes and the data breach notification requirements for their organization.  They must be prepared in advance to respond to security incidents.

Is your technology ready for the GDPR?

Smart CIOs and CEOs in the U.S. and Canada have been preparing for the GDPR for the last year. And many larger enterprises, especially those that regularly do business in the European Union, have seen this on the horizon for a while and have taken advantage of the two-year implementation period to seriously prepare for GDPR. These organizations are ready and won’t need to worry that they can’t meet the 72-hour notification deadline.  Many U.S. financial organizations and banks are already prepared as they are accustomed to notifying regulators and customers, and they have the IT infrastructure in place to respond quickly. Plus, banks in the U.S. have been functioning under more stringent regulations since the 2007-2008 financial crisis–They’re already well prepared.

The following are steps your organization should take to prepare your technology for the GDPR.  

  • Perform a thorough inventory of your personally identifiable information, where it’s stored–in onsite storage or in the Cloud, and determine in which geographical locations it’s housed. Don’t forget about your databases. PII is often stored in databases.
  • Perform a Gap Analysis. This is a process where you compare your organization’s IT performance to the expected requirements. It helps you understand if your technology and other resources are operating effectively. By doing this, your Technology Solution Provider (TSP) can then create an action plan to fill in the gaps. The right TSP will understand the GDPR regulations and how your IT must support your compliance efforts.
  • Develop an Action Plan. Your TSP should document a detailed action plan for how to use technology to meet the GDPR if you experience a data breach. This should include individuals’ roles and responsibilities. Conduct tabletop exercises to practice how the plan will work with specific timelines and milestones.
  • Ensure data privacy. If you don’t have a Technology Solution Provider, then you need one for this. Data protection is key for organizations of any size. Consumers have the right to have their data erased if they want. This is called “the right to be forgotten.”  This is a concept that has was put into practice in the European Union in 2006, and it’s a part of the GDPR. You won’t be able to do this if their data is stolen.
  • Be sure to document and monitor everything that you do that’s related to GDPR Compliance. This includes any changes or upgrades that your Managed Service Provider makes to your IT environment. You may need to demonstrate that you’ve done your due diligence when it comes to protecting citizens’ private information and that you practice “defense-in-depth” strategies where you use multiple layers of security controls when it comes to your technology.

If you have all these processes properly in place, you should be able to meet the GDPR breach notification 72-hour period. The organizations that have met most of the International Organization for Standardization information security requirements should also be ready for the new regulations.

Watch Our Free GDPR Training Online

Unfortunately, many organizations won’t do this, simply because they’re not educated about the new GDPR, or they’re so busy they don’t think they have the time to make it a priority. Some think that the GDPR doesn’t apply to them. And others who don’t undertake proactive technology methods, in general, simply “bury their heads in the sand.”  These organizations have waited too long now to make the May 28th deadline. Hopefully, yours isn’t one of them.

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Notable features of Windows 10

Over the years there have been many versions of Windows such as Windows 8, Windows Vista, and Windows XP. Windows 10, the latest update from Microsoft, has many unique features that distinguish it from its predecessors. While the previous versions ran mainly on laptops and desktops, Windows 10 is designed to run on tablets equally as well. One of the best features of this update, which is also known as Spring Creators Update, is that takes very little time to install – just under thirty minutes. While the previous updates used to take a lot of time, this new version is very time effective.

Notable Windows 10 Features

Windows 10 has many other distinctive features that are very useful for many small businesses.

Cortana on Desktop

Windows 10 brings voice-controlled digital assistance in the form of Cortana to computers. Now you can interact with or give commands to your computer without lifting a finger. You don’t need to type – just tell your computer if you want to launch a PowerPoint presentation, need a specific file, or want to look at specific photos. Your PC can do all this while you work on, say, an interdepartmental email.

Timeline

Timeline has replaced the Task Viewer icon beside the Windows taskbar. This new feature allows the user to view the activity history of their desktop. If you are looking for a file that you were working on last week, Timeline will help you find it quickly. Just click on the Task View button on the taskbar, and you will be able to see all your open files and applications. It is a convenient way to see what applications are running. Windows will display photos, folders, and documents according to the date that they were last used.

Privacy

Another security feature of Windows 10 is the new Windows Diagnostic Data Viewer. This feature allows you to view the amount of information that Microsoft can access from your computer. You can keep your data safe by fine-tuning privacy settings which concern application usage, browser history, web permissions, and connected devices.

The Start Menu is back!

In the previous update the Start Menu was eliminated, but in Windows 10 we can see its revival. The bottom left shows the Start Button, and when you click on it, two panels appear side by side with the left side showing the most used applications. The right side displays a list of live tiles that you can resize, reorganize, and customize. There is a power button at the top similar to Windows 8 for features such as Standby, Hibernate, and Shut down.

Nearby Sharing

Another simple feature that makes office work so much easier is Nearby Sharing, which you can enable from the Control Panel. Select the computer you want to send the file to and then click on the Share button in the Photos app or the Edge browser. The computer will receive a notification asking it to accept or decline the file. This ensures that file transfers can happen without unreliable network folders, beat-up USB devices, or empty email messages.

Snap Assist

In this update, the Snap View feature has also been updated which allows users to open multiple windows side-by-side without being limited by your screen’s resolution. This feature also suggests different apps that you can open to fill the available space.

Swift Pair

This feature allows you to connect to a Bluetooth device within the desktop’s range. You will automatically receive notifications whenever there is a connection opportunity. With Windows 10 you can use wireless headphones to make a call or try out a wireless keyboard by just clicking connect.

Microsoft Edge

The new browser called Microsoft Edge has replaced the old Internet Explorer. This browser has many impressive features such as Cortana integration, which allows you to pull up contextual information without having to search through emails. It has an annotation tool which lets you write anything and share it with your friends on social networks without leaving the browser, and PDF support which makes reading easier by improving the layout of long articles.

Tablet Mode

Windows 10, unlike Windows 8, makes a clear differentiation between tablets and desktops. In Windows 8, if you happen to be using a mouse and keyboard, by default, you will be in desktop mode.

Action Center

The Action Center in Windows 10 has been expanded to allow easy access to frequently used settings such as tablet mode and Wi-Fi connectivity. It also shows all essential notifications as soon as your computer receives an update.

Windows 10 has many impressive features which were missing in the previous update. It is faster, provides invaluable security protection and makes multitasking much easier. Update your computer today to enjoy all the benefits of this new operating system.

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