Month: June 2018

This article is basically an overview of what Microsoft Office 365 is. Virtually, there is nothing new especially to those who are already using Microsoft Office products; only a few enhancements to better your user experience. To start off, we will have a historical evolution of Office to give you a clear understanding of where we are coming from, and then explore Office in the Cloud and finally various Office 365 user scenarios.

Evolution of Office

Most of the Applications on Office are basically the same ones from ten years ago, only with a few improvements to increase efficiency.

In the past, when one needed a software upgrade, you bought it in a box and then had it manually installed on your device. What Office 365 has done is make it easier for you to access the upgrades to all the Office Applications you usually use.

This is to help you collaborate and communicate so you can get more work completed faster. Office 365 contains the normal Office Applications that most people are accustomed to such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Outlook. Office 365 has added a few helpful Apps to make your work easier such as Yammer, OneDrive, Skype, and OneNote.

• OneDrive for Business

This is an App where you store your business documents to save, view, and edit. You can also co-author or co-create content with colleagues.

• Skype

This App enables instant messaging, video, and voice calling and it is good at indicating whether you are at your desk, in a meeting, on a call, and even when you are away from your desk.

• Yammer

This is like a social network for an enterprise. You can follow groups, teams, comment, share ideas, provide feedback, and also store content.

• OneNote

This App is not new at all, but it is very useful for taking notes. It allows you to paste images, links, and store very different kinds of content. It works like a digital notebook.

Office 365 Delivered Services

These are basically the services that Microsoft delivers to different organizations in order to enable them to use the technology reviewed above. They include helpful programs like PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, and OneNote. Microsoft recently purchased Skype and has integrated this program into its suite of products. It can be used for communications and holding virtual meetings on your desktop.

SharePoint is used for sharing documents and is integrated with OneDrive and Exchange which provides email functionality.

Delivered Services by Office 365 also offer Office 365 programs for any device, whether powered by iOS, Android, or Windows. This means that you can access your stored data in Office 365 on any device or platform.

Office in the Cloud

Traditionally, an organization runs its Apps in a central data center owned and managed by them. On the other hand, Cloud is where a service provider like Microsoft can provide computer-powered storage like a hard drive to other organizations to help them manage their data. A hybrid is using both the traditional and cloud methods to manage data. Advantages of using the Cloud include flexibility, accessibility, reliability, manageability, and of course security.

Office Online

This is a service that enables you to access your Apps online and also your data.

Office 365 Scenarios

• Do it from anywhere

Office 365 gives you access to any device to enable you to work from anywhere. This is because files and settings are synced across devices. You can easily create, edit, and share documents and even access them on a mobile device. One Note is also your digital notebook and you can take notes anywhere anytime and all your devices will be updated with the new information.

• OneDrive for Business

OneDrive for Business works with SharePoint to store, sync, and share your work files. You can co-create and co-author documents with colleagues. You don’t have to be together or even working from the same location. You can keep refining and making changes from anywhere.

• SharePoint

SharePoint allows you to better manage your content. You can also collaborate on documents with your colleagues.

• Skype for Business

The features of Skype allow you to connect with anyone via instant messaging (IM), video calls, and online meetings. Skype has the ability to turn instant messenger into a phone or video call. You can record sessions to use later or share with others.

• Yammer

This is the social network guru for your office. It allows discussions, ideas, and input without necessarily holding a meeting.

More information can be found on:

support.office.com

Wrap Up

The best way to learn is to explore. Get Microsoft Office 365 and start using the awesome features. It is user-friendly and totally worth your investment. Microsoft saves you time and makes work very easy.

Common Security Threats and How Microsoft Security Helps Mitigate Them

Advanced modern technologies such as cloud computing and virtualization have completely revolutionized the workforce. Remote working arrangements have now become increasingly commonplace. Along with this advancement is an expanded network footprint characterized by myriads of virtualized workloads. This includes personal devices and computers that represent multiple points of connectivity as well as potential vulnerabilities.

In the middle of all this, we find every organization’s weakest link as far as cyber security is concerned: the human element. Untrained employees, who comprise a huge percentage of the workforce in most organizations, will readily click malicious URLs or browse suspicious websites. All without realizing that they may be enabling malicious scripts to run and allowing weaponized documents to get past their systems’ standard defenses.

Bad actors are well aware of these human tendencies and are always out to exploit them in dozens of different ways. This represents a few of the numerous ways in which organizations are susceptible to potential cyber-attacks.

Attack vectors that commonly lead to data leaks within organizations

Security threats within an organization can originate from within the organization or from outside.

• Internal threat

The threat originates from within the organization itself and includes acts of espionage or various methods of employee data theft.

External sharing of sensitive information

In some instances, a competitor or some other party interested in the company’s data can approach an employee and offer them payment in exchange for sensitive, privileged information.

Compromised employees or industrial spies may share sensitive data with outsiders. They pose a serious internal threat to data security.

Lost device(s)

With mobile or remote employees, a lost device may fall into the hands of anyone who can then access their files and download them for use in any harmful way.

Mobile employees, especially cloud users, may also attempt to log into the company’s database remotely from an unknown PC. If the PC is infected, this can seriously compromise the security of the data itself.

• External threat

This threat is initiated by forces from outside the organization and often exploits various weaknesses in the data security system or network infrastructure. Unintentional data leakage can occur through any of the following:

Phishing attack

Phishing refers to the fraudulent attempt by bad actors to obtain sensitive information including usernames, passwords, and sometimes credit card data – depending on the intentions of the attacker. They often do this by disguising themselves as a trustworthy party in electronic communication methods such as emails.

Normally, the data thief creates a Web page replicating an existing one to trick a user into submitting their personal, financial, or login details that the cybercriminal can then use for illicit purposes.

In many cases, the untrained individual receives an email from what appears to be a reliable source asking for reauthentication. Upon clicking the link and providing the requested information – often a username and password – this individual allows the attacker to infect their machine with malware. The cyber-thief may additionally be able to steal the individual’s identity.

Once an employee’s device is compromised, the attack can spread throughout the organization in any of the following forms.

• Internal sharing of malware

Through an infected device, an attacker can spread the malware throughout the organization’s network. They may be able to access various databases to which the victim has privileged access. They can then steal whatever data they want once the network is compromised.

• Identity theft

With stolen credentials, an attacker will have unrestricted access to sensitive information while disguised as an employee. A stolen identity gives the bad actor an easy way into the organization’s network. Once inside, they can set about moving around, searching for sensitive information to steal while impersonating a legitimate user.

How Microsoft Security increases your protection against these threats   

Microsoft has multiple ways in which it can increase your protection against various threat scenarios at different levels. For starters, there is the Windows Defender Antivirus program which could block known threats on user’s devices.

Microsoft also has the Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection program that can detect, investigate, and respond to new or unknown threats using the power of AI – eventually mitigating the infection on personal devices.

Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection allows for a reputation check, making sure that the URLs you’re clicking on are legitimate. This can be a great way to safeguard employees from phishing attacks.

This also comes with Multifactor Authentication that is specifically designed to prevent hackers from logging in to the potential victim’s account. This is a perfect way to protect users from identity theft. Requiring the device to be compliant also helps prevent the spread of malware from one infected device to another.

Cloud Protection

Microsoft has the Office 365 Cloud App Security which spots abnormal behavior. This means it can prevent intentional data leakage and seal off that loophole.

To protect the data itself, Microsoft has Azure Information Protection which allows for policy controls to be put in place ensuring that only certain people can view these files.

Intune, a security management tool, also allows users to create conditional access rules in their devices around the data itself. This ensures the safety of data in the case of a lost device or attempted login from unknown PCs. An untrusted device wouldn’t be able to access files protected by Intune.

Conclusion

With these protection metrics, Microsoft 365 is the go-to solution for any organization. These security measures work to safeguard your network from various security threats by preventing, controlling, detecting, and responding to any threat scenario.

Ohio Fire and Police Departments Latest to be Hit by Ransomware Attack

US Secret Service investigates after second ransomware infection in a month

In April of this year, news broke of a devastating ransomware attack at Riverside Fire and Police Department in Ohio. The attack halted operations and over ten months’ worth of data relating to active investigations was encrypted by criminals. The emergency service department’s server was said to be infected through malicious correspondence, disguised as a legitimate email fax.

Luckily, in response to the first attack, the Riverside Fire and Police Department did not pay the ransom, setting a great example for other ransomware victims across the country. The emergency service departments managed to recover most of the critical data from existing backups and public court records. However, the extent of the attack left the Fire and Police departments unable to restore their systems completely.

Doubling Down: Riverside Fire and Police Department Gets Hit by Second Virus

Even worse? The cybersecurity trouble didn’t stop there for the Riverside Fire and Police Department. Less than a month after the initial attack – just as the departments were getting their bearings –cybercriminals struck again and infected Fire and Police servers with a second ransomware outbreak. However, since the departments were on guard from the first attack, their team was more prepared to respond to the second infection.

News of the second attack broke in early May when the US Secret Service was summoned to Ohio to lead a cybercrime investigation. Luckily, department officials had learned from the first attack and had begun backing up data daily. Thanks to this proactivity, the second attack was only able to hold about eight hours of work hostage and the Fire and Police Department was able to recover quickly and fully after the second attack.

However, just because the second attack wasn’t as bad, doesn’t mean it didn’t have a negative effect on productivity at the emergency services department. City Manager, Mark Carpenter claims that though more proactive backup measures had been taken, rebounding from the attack still resulted in redundancies.

“Everything was backed-up,” Carpenter said in an interview. “But we lost about eight hours’ worth of information we have to re-enter. It was our police and fire records, so we just need to re-enter the reports.”

US Secret Service agents are taking the attack very seriously, commencing an extensive investigation. Secret Service agents hope to determine specific points of entry – not just for this attack but for the initial attack as well. The investigation will hopefully uncover critical clues that will help officials track down and stop the hackers once and for all.

A Startling Reminder: No One’s Digital Data is 100% Safe!

These repeat attacks on the Riverside Fire and Police Department serve as a critical reminder that emergency service departments are increasingly becoming victims of ransomware attacks and data loss. In fact, many recent ransomware attacks on emergency service departments have been more devastating than this year’s attack in Riverside. Last year, the Cockrell Hill Police Department in Texas was hit with a massive ransomware attack, resulting in the loss of nearly eight years’ worth of investigation data and evidence.

It doesn’t stop there either. Recent attacks on emergency service departments have been reported across the country. Most recent reports include attacks in Illinois, Massachusetts, Oregon, South Carolina, as well as additional attacks in Ohio and countless others from coast to coast.

However, it must be noted that there’s no evidence to suggest that cybercriminals are specifically targeting emergency service departments. Rather, these attacks do suggest that the bad guys are attempting to deploy more enormous and wide-reaching phishing campaigns in hopes of hitting as many targets as possible. Using manipulative social engineering strategies on a large pool of potential victims, improves the chances of duping targets and infecting as many servers as possible.

If Cyber Criminals Can Breach a Police Station, How Safe is Your Company Data?

While emergency service departments are often able to bounce back quickly – thanks to reliable backups or quietly paying off ransoms – this increase of ransomware attacks emphasizes the need for security awareness training, even for the most seasoned of investigative departments. More importantly, these attacks also serve as a crucial reminder for everyday business professionals. If police and fire departments are falling victim to ransomware attacks, even with the best firewall and cybersecurity measures in place, regular business owners should be on much higher alert.

No matter how extensive your company’s cybersecurity efforts may be, phishing attacks are increasingly being designed to sneak past filters and firewalls. Therefore, getting proactive must be prioritized in your cybersecurity toolkit. Phishing scams are now the most common and effective mode of malware attack and in turn, training your frontline workers to identify these attacks right away and respond to them effectively is critical to keeping your data safe.

Security awareness training is often cited as the best means of preparing front-line tech users to identify and respond to malicious cyberattacks. After all, an informed and vigilant team is a business’ best defense in an increasingly hostile and sophisticated cybercrime climate.

Preparing for the Worst-Case Scenario: What is Security Awareness Training?

Security awareness training isn’t just about reading up on the latest attacks and teaching your team the definitions of phishing, malware, and ransomware. Truly proactive security awareness training involves detailed and interactive modules that help users get a hands-on experience. This includes throwing your team into realistic attack simulations to help them identify red flags and respond with finesse.

So how do you ensure the training you’re providing to your team is up to snuff? Consult or partner with an expert in cyber security. Today’s managed IT service providers are current on the latest cyber-threats. They can assess your current security to see if it’s powerful enough to stop all attacks. In addition, a good IT professional will recommend customized security solutions that can fortify your organization against the ongoing attacks. As the world moves forward, protecting our priceless data is fast-becoming a number one priority.

Many people usually turn to Microsoft’s online productivity suite, Office 365 because of the apparent breadth and depth of its features, which allow them to accomplish what they are unable to do with other similar products on the market.

However, the business environment is always changing and organizations increasingly put a premium on agility, as staying competitive means being able to do more with less. Time is increasingly more valuable as well. Organizations need technology that requires very little training to reduce onboarding expenses for new employees.

With this understanding, Microsoft is rolling out updates to its Office 365 and the Office.com environment to simplify tasks and take the user experience to a higher level. Once this rollout is complete, users will be able to enjoy a much better experience across Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, as well as Outlook.

While these user experience updates are set to roll out slowly over the next couple of months, many of them are already available for Office.com users to experiment with. Microsoft has deployed new designs to a select customer group. These will be released in phases and carefully tested, so the tech giant can learn as they go.

A user centric approach

According to Microsoft, every change they are making on the user experience is focused on three key things: incorporating customer input, considering the context under which the feature will be best and most easily applied, and giving people control over their experience.

It is actually because of this user-centered approach that Microsoft is rolling out these updates gradually to allow room for incorporating the new feedback they obtain from customers during the process.

Shadow and depth of Office

As you scroll over the items on Office.com, you will notice that they pull forward with shadow and depth. This is because Microsoft is bringing its Fluent Design system to the web and to Office 365.

More importantly, Microsoft has rebuilt Office on a modern platform to be much faster and far more efficient than ever. So you’ll notice that every item you tap, such as a Word document, opens much faster than ever.

Simplified ribbon

Once you open your document, you’ll notice an updated, simplified, and better version of the ribbon. The new ribbon design will help users focus on their work and collaborate with others in a more natural and informal way.

For those who prefer to dedicate more screen space to showing commands, there is the option to expand the ribbon into the classic three-line view. This option will continue to be available to users so that everyone can choose the experience they prefer.

The simplified ribbon is first rolling out on the web version of Word. It will then become available to select consumers on Office.com and to Select Insiders in Outlook for Windows later on in July.

The simplified ribbon will not be available on Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for Windows yet. Microsoft intends to gather enough feedback from a broader set of users before implementing any changes that could disrupt people’s work. Upon rolling out the ribbon on these products, however, users will still be able to revert back to the classic version of the ribbon with just a single click.

New animations

As part of the Fluent Design system, the ribbon has been improved with new animations. The user experience is improved with better speed and velocity to improve the overall look and feel. All these have been designed to be inclusive and accessible so that the user experience is streamlined.

New icons and colors in the right places

Along with the new animations, users will enjoy a fresh array of new colors and icons. These will help people find the commands they’re looking for more easily. These new features were developed as scalable graphics. They render with precision on any screen size or type.

Users will be able to see the new icons and colors first in the web version of Word for Office.com. Select Insiders will see these new features in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for Windows in late June. The new icons and colors will then roll out to Outlook for Windows in July, and ultimately to Outlook for Mac in August.

Personalized intelligent Search

Microsoft is also rolling out a new personalized, intelligent Search feature across its products. This will provide access to commands, content, and people in a more enhanced manner. This feature makes suggestions on actions you can take, the content you may be looking for, and people that you may want to connect with – all based on your past work patterns. For those who love Office 365 and even for those who may not yet be fans, these new updates promise a world-full of new possibilities.

All you have to do is place your cursor in the search box and all these recommendations powered by machine learning and the Microsoft Graph will show up.

This experience is already available to commercial users in SharePoint Online, Office.com, and the Outlook mobile app. Commercial users of Outlook on the web will also start seeing this experience in action in August.

Wrap up

These updates are a sign of Microsoft’s commitment to making its products more useful to its customers. Against this backdrop, we can expect nothing but the best user experience from these products as the tech giant continues to roll out innovative modifications.

Coming in the fall of 2018, Apple has announced the release of iOS 12 for iPhones and iPads. The new operating system has been designed to greatly improve the user experience. It will be faster and more responsive than the older versions. It includes a number of helpful apps that will make life easier and more fun.

Apple has invested a great deal of time and effort in learning what users want most in their smartphones. They are touting iOS 12 as the most significant improvement to come along in some time. Keyboard typing will be much faster and more responsive. The camera will launch much quicker so you can get those great shots of your kids or pets playing.

The new operating system will work on older iPhones as well. Apple has said that the operating system will improve performance on devices going back to the iPhone 5S and iPad Air.

The Screen Time Tool

One of the most exciting improvements for parents will be a tool called “Screen Time.” This tool is integrated into the operating system so there’s no additional app to download. It provides a much-need method of monitoring how much time your kids spend on their phone and tablet computer. For years, parents have been complaining that there’s no way to tell how much time their kids spend on the phone. Now there is.

For years, Google has had a Family Link app on its Android phones with similar capabilities. However, Apple has taken the idea to a new level. Screen Time has a program to record the time that users spend on various apps. Though there are various third-party apps on the market that do monitor this, for many users, these have simply not been as user-friendly as promised. With the Screen Time program, there’s no third-party app to download.

If you want to know how much time your son or daughter has spent on Facebook, it’s easy to find out. Now that the information is readily available, parents can regularly check to see if their child is spending too much time playing games or on favorite social media sites. Those who have tracked this before always say consistently that they’re surprised at how much time they (or a family member) spend on certain websites or involved in some online activities.

The time does seem to fly by when you’re playing your favorite game or joking around with friends on Facebook. Though these activities are entertaining, often kids are neglecting more important things like homework, cleaning their room, or just getting out of the house for some fresh air.

Parents (or kids) can generate activity reports by logging into their “Family Sharing” account located in iCloud. The app also enables parents to set time limits for usage. Though this is meant to help parents control how much time their kids spend playing around, it’s an important tool for learning behavior patterns and developing behavior modification programs.

A tool in Screen Time called “App Limits” will notify you when your time is almost up. The warning is a good way for kids (and parents) to transition off of their device and get more involved in “real world” activities. Experts believe that the app is a more productive substitute for a parent yelling at their child to get off the phone.

iOS 12 includes many helpful apps for kids such as “Sleep is Supreme”, an app that allows parents to set up bedtime parameters on their kids’ tablets and phones. Parents can also limit the child’s access to apps like Snapchat and Instagram during school hours. If you have learning apps on your phone like Quizlet, you can continue to allow them to run these at any time.

Sleep deprivation

No one’s getting enough sleep these days. According to a new report by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine,[1] approximately half of all 15-year to 18-year olds get less than seven hours of sleep each night. Doctors recommend at least nine hours of sleep for this age group. Sleep deprivation can make you cranky and irritable. It keeps the brain in a state of being foggy and unable to process information as fast. It also affects the central nervous system and the immune system among others. Specialists have noted suicidal tendencies in teens with higher sleep deprivation.[2]

Control notifications

If you’re bothered by notifications, you can set up parameters that control how often and when you receive notifications. The new tool is called “Downtime” and it will no doubt be a big hit with everyone. Getting notifications at all hours can be annoying, distracting, and it can prevent you from finishing a project. Now you can set up “Downtime” to deliver notifications when it’s most convenient for you.

With Apple’s new iOS12, adults are finally able to take charge of the time their kids can spend on certain activities. This should go a long way towards improving quality time with your family. It may also help kids to improve their school grades and make everyone more aware of the time we spend playing games or interacting on our favorite social media platform.