Month: December 2018

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Have You Made Up Your Mind Regarding Your 2019 Technology Plan?

December 31st is Make Up Your Mind Day

As New Year’s Eve approaches, it’s time to remember its other name: Make Up Your Mind Day. As the last day of the business year for most companies, it’s also a vital point for putting your plans for the next year into action. Unfortunately, creating a business technology strategy can be a complicated process for many IT professionals. Which way will your company go in the new year?

December 31 is Make Up Your Mind Day.  So have you made up your mind regarding your 2019 technology plan?

Here are a few ideas to keep in mind as you work on developing your business technology plan for 2019:

Have You Made Up Your Mind Regarding Your 2019 Technology Plan?

  • Look at digitizing: The process of turning your organization from a traditional one to a digital enterprise is a complex process and requires a great deal of thought and investment to pull off well. Companies that lack a solid understanding of the challenges and opportunities are among the reason why 84% of attempts at digitization end in failure. Make sure you prioritize this vital part of your company’s growth for the upcoming year.
  • Consider legacy assets: Will that old server holds out a few more years or is it time to upgrade the aging sales software instead? Though legacy assets can be challenging to incorporate into your existing scheme, it’s much easier than it was just a few years ago given the prevalence of solution-based software. However, there’s a particular point where it’s just more straightforward to say goodbye to these old classics. Fortunately, there are a few easy signs to help you recognize whether that time has come.
  • Contemplate what tech employees use: Should you dictate to employees the technology they should use when at work? Considering the prevalence of mobile devices and the focus on specific brands, the iOS versus Android battle may appear front and center at your workplace very soon. With 38% of employees resenting management dictating what tech they can use on the job, it’s important to consider more comprehensive solutions that allow employees to work more productively.
  • Take a look at the long-term goals: Trying to bring your business into the fourth industrial revolution without long-term goals to guide you would be like Columbus taking off across the Atlantic without an astrolabe. You know you’re following something, but you waste a lot of time and effort trying to get there. Our friends at Hacker Noon have a great article on how to break down large, seemingly impossible goals into shorter goals, allowing you to navigate from one point to another without being lost in an ocean of planning.
  • Consider upgrades: What condition are those old workstations in? What about that series of laptops that you’re continually making repairs to or sending out for warranty work? When you have the budget available, upgrade or replace poor-performing assets in your system to improve your overall uptime and reduce the amount of work that needs to happen to keep things rolling. This gives you more free time for strategizing to get your business ahead.
  • Make it mobile: If you’re not mobile by this point, you’re missing out. There are so many tools available to help you improve productivity, whether it’s connecting social media accounts, communicating with teams, taking remote payments or having music while you’re wrapping up quarterly reports. Adding mobile capability means your entire team can be more productive on the go, whether waiting for the VP for the meeting or dealing with an emergency from around the globe.
  • Contemplate automation: What does your workflow look like? If you still have manual processes that can be automated, you’re wasting money. Whether it’s marketing tasks that can be more easily handled by a bot on Facebook, a tracking system for your warehouse to make your pickers more efficient or any number of other tasks, automation keeps your business rolling smoothly and efficiently while making your operation more flexible.

With digitization breathing hot down the necks of most IT professionals, having a solid technology strategy in place can make the difference between the success and failure of the business as a whole. As IT shifts from an ancillary department to the central core of a company, it’s important to make sure that the leadership is in place to strategize this shift and ensure that it can be made successfully without costing the business more than necessary to provide an excellent outcome.

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PSA Alert! Sleeping While Phone Charges

Read the following alert before charging your phone tonight and from this day forward. According to the Newton, New Hampshire, fire department’s PSA message posted on social media; it seems as though charging a phone in bed poses a serious health risk and lethal safety concerns for you and your loved ones. Now it is imperative you think twice before charging your tablet or smartphone in bed ever again.

What the Newton fire department shared is quite literally a wake-up call

The Newton Fire Department, in Newton, New Hampshire shared this photo. You will notice burned sheets and pillows next to a device charger’s cord. If the picture seems scary, you now have your proof. Without warning, if a child or teenager is sleeping next to their phone while it’s charging, this could happen to them, putting them in grave danger.

According to the fire department, a home fire is reported in the U.S. every 86 seconds. They also uncovered some recent research which indicates over 50 percent of children and teenagers charge their tablet or phone under their pillows. When you consider that everyday habit, you must ask yourself, “where does the heat go if the phone is covered up?”

We all know if the heat from that charger can’t evaporate you’re going to have a cord, charger, and device that’s hotter and to difficult to touch. If the charger and phone are under the pillow, then that pillow, mattress, and the entire bed could catch fire, and the whole house could go up in flames, putting all the family members in danger.

Should we be concerned, isn’t this an isolated situation?

Unfortunately, it isn’t. It continues happening.

It wasn’t that long ago a 10-year-old boy, in Northern Ireland woke up in shock. He was charging his new phone in his bedroom overnight. What awakened him was the smell of smoke, as his iPhone sat burning on his bed. The phone got overheated and severely singed. Fortunately, there was no fire outbreak.

Then there’s the incident where a family of a 15-year-old girl from Wales had to flee their home. They were not as lucky. The girl’s iPhone overheated while resting on the bedding. Next thing they know the bed quickly caught fire and engulfed the home. Fortunately, no one was hurt. But it took six months before the family could return to their home, due to the extensive fire damage.

But we can’t just look at children and teenagers who leave their tablets or phones charging overnight. Take the Alabama man, in his 30s that nearly lost his life getting electrocuted, after he fell asleep with his cell phone charging right next to him in bed.

As he slept, the charger disconnected from the phone. But in the morning he rolled over, and his military dog-tags around his neck got caught on the exposed prongs of the plugged-in phone charger. What happened next, nearly took his life. The dog-tags acted as a conductor so, the electricity traveled straight to his neck. Strips of flesh and skin were missing from his neck and his shirt got singed, where the metal dog-tag necklace had burned his throat.

What should you know moving forward?

It was pointed out in a 2017 Hartford Home Fire Index; there is a “high risk” when charging your phone on your bed overnight. They compared it to leaving a candle burning unattended or when your stove doesn’t get turned off after cooking.

There was more extensive research published by the American Medical Association (AMA), in their JAMA Pediatrics monthly peer-reviewed medical journal that shows roughly 89 percent of teens and 72 percent of children use, on average at least one device, tablet or phone, in their “sleep environment.” And quite often it’s used just before bedtime.

“The distinctly possible result is that the pillow or bed or both will catch fire,” the Newton fire department added. “This places the child or teen, as well as everyone else in the home in grave danger.”

What should you start doing today?

To quote Stuart Millington, senior Fire Safety Manager, of the New Wales Police department, “Turn chargers off. Unplug them before you go to bed,” His warning came after a similar incident where a phone caught fire while charging under a pillow of a North Wales family home. “Never leave items unattended or charging for long periods of time.”

If you are a parent or grandparent, warn your kids and grandchildren. Bring it to their attention to the dangers of sleeping next to a charging tablet or phone. Also, look to see where device charges are plugged in, and if not suitable recommend a designated charging zone in your home for all devices.

Did you find this article informative? If you liked this one, check out our other content we think you’ll find interesting.

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Why is my Windows 10 Pro Deactivating?

If you are experiencing problems with your Windows 10 Pro operating system, you are not alone. Thousands of users from the US, Japan, and South Korea flooded tech message boards late this week with complaints that their legitimately purchased software was deactivating itself.

What Exactly Happened?

Starting on November 8, comments began to appear online from several users expressing frustration over the pop-up messages they received from Microsoft after booting up their computers. These messages included the error codes: 0xC004C003 or 0xC004C003, and incorrectly implied that the users were trying to run illegal copies of the Windows 10 Pro edition on their computers. Those affected by the glitch were then prompted to install the Windows 10 Home edition or to purchase a genuine copy of the Pro edition from the Microsoft store. Anyone who received a deactivation warning was still able to operate the computer using the Windows 10 Pro edition, although distracting watermarks were plastered across the screen.

Microsoft acknowledged that the company was fully aware of the DMR issue within hours of the first messages showing up online. A statement released from the company said it was still trying to determine the reason behind the deactivations to provide a fix, but at the time the exact cause was unknown. Engineers from Microsoft suspected that “some unspecified issue with the Windows Authentication servers” was the cause behind the deactivations.

On Friday, a day after Microsoft first address the deactivations, the company released an update about the bug:

“A limited number of customers experienced an activation issue that our engineers have now addressed. Affected customers will see the resolution over the next 24 hours as the solution is applied automatically. In the meantime, they can continue to use Windows 10 Pro as usual.”

As of Saturday, some users online were still reporting problems with their operating system.

Will This Affect Me?

The good news is that the deactivation problem seems to be affecting only a small portion of the total number of Windows 10 Pro edition users. Of the licenses which were affected, the vast majority of them were digitally updated from an early version of Windows. If you have not already received the warning after restarting your system, there is a good chance that your copy of the operating system is not affected by this bug. But for those who hit with the glitch, you have several options.

What Can I Do About It?

First, don’t panic and assume that you need to repurchase a new license for the Windows 10 Pro edition if you are still receiving a warning as of today. As long as you are using a genuine version of the operating system, there is no need to buy another copy, as the fix will automatically take effect. The best thing to do is just to wait. But if you are unwilling to wait, you can attempt to correct the issue on your own by running the Troubleshoot app. You can access the Troubleshoot app by going to Settings then clicking on Update & Security followed by Activation, and finally to Troubleshoot. This should correct the issue immediately.

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Marriott 500 Million Person Data Breach (Questions/Answers)

How Marriott Got Caught In A 500-Million Person Data Breach

Were You Affected? (Your Questions Answered)

What Do We Need To Know About The Marriott Breach?

Another big corporation got hooked. This time it was Marriott International. They just revealed that their Starwood reservations database of 500 million customers was hacked and that the personal information of up to 327 million guests was stolen. And, this has been going on since 2014!

How Did This Happen?

  • On September 8, 2018, Marriott was alerted about an attempt to access the Starwood guest reservation database.
  • They contacted leading security experts to help them determine what occurred. Marriott said that the hacker copied, encrypted and removed their customers’ data.
  • On November 19, 2018, Marriott was able to decrypt the data and learned that it was from the Starwood guest reservation database.

Marriott acknowledged that the encryption security keys for this data may have fallen into the hands of hackers. This allowed them to access the massive amount of data. Secure systems lock up data and should store the encryption keys in a location that’s separate from the confidential information.

Some good questions to ask here are:

“How did the criminals get Marriott’s encryption keys?

“Why did it take so long for Marriott to reveal the breach?” They learned about it in September which is over two months ago.

And, this was a 4-year long breach! “Why didn’t Marriott know that their customers’ data was being stolen over this long period?”

Maybe we’ll find out the answers to these questions, and perhaps not. What’s for sure is that you are on your own when it comes to protecting your confidential data.

How Do I Know If My Data Was Stolen?

If you are a Starwood Preferred Guest member and your data was stored in the Starwood property’s database (which includes Sheraton, Westin and St. Regis hotels, among others) you need to be on alert.

As mentioned, this data breach goes all the way back to 2014 and includes names, passport numbers, email addresses and payment information for approximately 327 million travelers – a “big catch” for any hacker. Even your date of birth, gender, reservation dates and communication preferences may be included in the breach.

Should I Contact Marriott?

Marriott set up a website and call center for customers who were impacted by the data breach. Email notifications are also being rolled out.

Marriott is also offering affected customers the option to enroll in WebWatcher free of charge for one year. WebWatcher monitors internet sites where personal information is shared and generates an alert if your personal information is found. If you live in the U.S., you’ll also be offered fraud consulting services

What Else Should I Do?

If your data was stolen, you should observe for incidents of identity theft. Also, watch for phishing emails where hackers try to impersonate someone you trust to take information or money from you.

Arrange For Security Awareness Training For Your Employees

If your business data was involved, make sure that you arrange for Security Awareness Training for your employees to train them to recognize phishing attempts. This includes:

  • Baseline Testing to assess the Phish-prone percentage of your employees through a free simulated phishing attack.
  • Training For Your Users with content that includes interactive modules, videos, games, posters, and newsletters.
  • Simulated Phishing Attacks that utilize best-in-class, fully automated, simulated phishing attacks, thousands of templates with unlimited usage, and community phishing templates.
  • Reports with statistics and graphs for both training and phishing for your management to review.

Whether your business was involved in the breach or not, Security Awareness Training for your employees is always a good idea.

Another good idea is to sign up for Dark Web Scanning Services.

Get Dark Web Scanning For Your Confidential Business Data

The Dark Web is a secret internet society that’s only accessible to a select group of criminals. Criminals use it to take stolen data (like the Marriott/Starwood customer information) and dump it on the black market for sale.

Dark Web Scanning is a sophisticated monitoring solution that helps businesses of any size detect cyber threats that expose their stolen business accounts, email addresses, payment information, and other confidential data that’s on the Dark Web. It also does this in real time and detects any of your compromised credentials or information before criminals can use it for profit or other crimes.

Don’t Count On The Marriott’s Of The World To Protect Your Business Data – You Must Do This Yourself

Contact us for information about Data Protection, Security Awareness Training and Dark Web Scanning. We have a Suite of IT Security Solutions to help you keep your business data secure.

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How To Combat Cybercrime On A Small Business Budget?

Combat Cybercrime

If there’s one thing that most small businesses have in common, it’s a limited budget to invest in infrastructure. Yet failing to devote any resources to securing your technology can put the company itself at risk. Understanding the specific ways that small businesses are vulnerable to cybercrime — and how these dangers can be combatted even on smaller budgets — can make the difference in whether or not the company can survive attempted cybercrime.

How does small business cybercrime affect individuals?

Small businesses generally keep digital information on customer transactions and for employee records. Both of these databases are vulnerable to small business hacking. Cybercriminals are typically interested in access to bank accounts and credit card information, to drain those accounts. But they may also use social security numbers, physical addresses, and even medical insurance and employee benefit plan information to attempt more elaborate identify theft fraud.

How does cybercrime affect small businesses?

Exactly how hard a small business will be hit by a data breach depends not just on the extent of the episode, but on state laws which dictate how a company must respond to the incident. A study conducted by the Ponemon Institute estimated that, for every breached record, the small business employer was forced to pay up to $200 in the recovery process. This per-record cost takes into account the investigation, notifying the affected parties, paying for any litigation or liability, and the cost involved in stemming the breach.

Small business cybercrime can also damage the store or office’s reputation with its business partners. Hackers are often looking for ways to gain access to more heavily-protected information from larger corporations. Potentially, a small business that contracts with larger companies can offer a “backdoor” to those entities. Should that illegal access happen, the larger company is likely to recover from the breach — but also be reluctant to do more business with the small business that failed to protect the information.

Why should small businesses be especially concerned?

Small businesses are both more vulnerable to cybercrime incidents, and more likely to be disproportionately impacted by a single incident. In fact, an alarming 66 percent of small business will go out of business less than a year after a “significant” breach, analysts have discovered.

Why? That high per-breached-record cost is one key reason. Perhaps even more importantly, customers have less confidence in a small business’ ability to protect them from future incidents than they would be following notification of an incident from a major national chain.

And customers have good reason for this waning confidence. They understand that major companies have the resources to both protect themselves from phishing expeditions, and to recover from the breaches that do happen. Small businesses simply don’t have the financial or employee resources to devote to installing elaborate security systems that flag potential small business hacking attempts.

What are the leading causes of data breaches?

Surprisingly, only about one-third of small business data breaches came about through deliberate cybercrime, according to a recent study. The other two-thirds were almost equally divided between human error and technology glitches. Of course, these initially non-deliberate breaches are still causes for concern. Although hackers may not be the ones to “knock the door down” in the case of accidental breaches, they’re certainly on the lookout for these vulnerabilities to take advantage of the valuable data.

What can small businesses on a limited budget do to protect data?

Because two-thirds of data breaches come from human error and system glitches, small businesses have an opportunity to tighten these up, even on a limited budget. In fact, there are several budget-friendly ways small businesses can begin tightening up their data:

  • Consider the cloud. Perhaps because of high-profile celebrity hacking cases, many business managers are hesitant about storing data in “the cloud.” Yet these off-site storage systems are actually much safer options, especially for small businesses. Industry analysts warn that most cybercrimes or data breach scares came about because of printed material that was misplaced, or devices that were lost or stolen. Ensuring that important information can’t be found directly on employee devices or through discarded paper records is the first step toward keeping would-be cybercriminals at bay.
  • Designate an employee to do a quarterly data audit. Given the hectic nature of running a small business, it’s not unusual for department heads to lose track of where they’re actually storing the data. Have one or two team members regularly ensure that all of the information is being stored where it should be — and move it when it’s not. It’s also a smart idea for all relevant parties to receive an audit report on any ongoing mistakes that are happening.
  • Schedule regular training sessions. Company-wide meetings can be hard to organize for small businesses. Yet it’s crucial that every staff member know the mistakes and scams that various departments are vulnerable to. Whether it’s a restaurant’s credit card scanner or a payroll manager’s email inbox, different systems are vulnerable to different kinds of both deliberate and inadvertent breaches. Whether you arrange for company-wide seminars or separate department meetings, make sure to regularly train all employees on the latest vulnerabilities happening to your industry — and how to prevent them.
  • Inventory all network devices. As more employees bring their work home with them, the greater the number of privately-owned devices that interact with your network. It’s important to keep track of all of these tablets, laptops, and cell phones to install a mobile device monitoring tool. This will help authorize these devices, and keep them — and the business — better-protected.
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Is Your 2019 Business Technology Plan Completed?

The new year is already upon us, but it is not too late to put together a solid, sensible information technology plan for 2019. Strategic planning in all areas of operation—including technology—helps organizations budget for and efficiently manage day-to-day requirements while investing in long-term projects and solutions.

As your business evolves, so will it’s IT requirements. Likewise, as technology advances, your company will also have to adapt to stay viable and competitive. For 2019, your top concerns regarding technology likely will include:

  • Upgrading software
  • Making data and systems more secure
  • Preparing for structural changes
  • Responding to threats and emergencies
  • Supporting business growth—locally, nationally, and/or globally

A vigorous technology plan should address these concerns, as well as those unique to your business and industry, and provide a framework to guide IT-related decision-making, prioritization, and task-implementation. If you have not yet started, here are a few ideas for how you can start putting together a robust technology plan to support the success of your company in 2019.

What should a technology plan account for?

Anticipated changes within your company may impact what items are necessary for your strategic technology plan to address for 2019 and the years beyond. Having a clear picture of where your company or organization is headed will help make it easier for you and other members of the IT team to determine which new technologies and upgrades are necessary and/or preferable for your specific business strategy. For instance, you should consider whether your organization plans to add or eliminate a notable number of employees within the fiscal year. Another question to address: Are you are planning to acquire any additional companies or provide new products or services? All these considerations will factor into your technology requirements. As you determine which new software, hardware or other IT solutions you may need in 2019, make sure they will integrate well with your existing IT environment.

Additionally, your technology plan should include arrangements for support services, including installation, maintenance, upgrading, and troubleshooting. Most business operations for companies across a range of industries are severely limited when technical issues arise, making it vital for you to preempt possible IT disruptions and have a plan for dealing with them.

How can companies deal with IT security threats?

It is common knowledge that cyber-security threats are continually evolving, along with the IT defenses needed to prevent and mitigate the risk. According to the Information Security Forum, an independent research organization, companies should stay well-informed about emerging technologies and corresponding threats to position themselves to make the best business decisions.

Information Security Forum’s Threat Horizon for 2019 reports on nine major threats that companies should expect to face in earnest over the coming year or two.

The first category of threats pertains to disruption from an over-reliance on fragile connectivity. The cyber-security threats in this category include:

  • Premeditated Internet outages
  • Hijacking from ransomware
  • Privileged insiders aiding in cyber-attacks

The second category covered by the Information Security Forum’s report deal with distortion, which occurs when trust in the integrity of information is lost. The risks in this category include:

  • Automated misinformation gaining undue credibility
  • Falsified information compromising performance
  • Subverted blockchains

In the third and final category are threats that have to do with deterioration, or controls eroding because of regulations and technology. These threats include:

  • Surveillance laws exposing corporate secrets
  • Privacy regulations impeding how organizations monitor insider threats
  • Overly enthusiastic deployment of AI (artificial intelligence) leading to unexpected outcomes

The proliferation of smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices being used in professional environments only increases the amount and varies the types of cyber-security risks that companies face. As a business of any size, your goal should be to protect your systems and networks from data loss or malicious attacks, both internal and external.

Should you invest in Cloud technology?

Compelled by factors such as profitability, efficiency, and gaining a competitive advantage, about 71 percent of small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs) intend to increase their investment in cloud-based technologies in 2019, according to survey data from Bill.com, a company that creates digital business payment solutions. The three primary areas for anticipated investment, according to respondents, include marketing software, sales software, and payments software. Cloud computing allows for streamlined operations, connected through a sort of virtual office accessible to employees and clients. While it comes with some risks, especially about privacy and security, cloud technology is definitely trending for the capabilities it provides, such as flexibility, potentially lower IT costs, collaboration efficiency, access to automatic updates, and business continuity.

Bill.com’s Chief Marketing Officer Yael Zheng reportedly stated, “These businesses are now developing a clear understanding of how technology can help them streamline processes and ultimately power business growth, which I anticipate will lead to even more investment in the future.”

As you put together and implement a technology plan for 2019, consider whether further embracing and investing in cloud-based technologies can help propel the growth of your business.

What changes are coming to Windows?

Beware: Jan. 14, 2020, is an essential date for Microsoft users for a couple of reasons. At that time, Microsoft will end support for Windows 7 software systems, as well as Windows Server 2008 and 2008 RS. If you have not already formulated a plan to upgrade to Windows 10 systems and new server technologies, 2019 is your opportunity to do so. Microsoft’s options for new server systems include upgrading to Windows Server 2016 or migrating your company’s workloads to Azure. Replacing outdated software and server systems is critical to protecting your infrastructure, applications and information. Even as early as April, your outdated Microsoft system may not receive critical security fixes, as new systems are moving over the to the more secure SHA-2 algorithm in the future. Keep in mind this transition may take some time, making it imperative to start the process sooner rather than later.

2019 Technology Plan

Is technology planning an easy goal to accomplish?

As the year progresses, you may have to work with IT consultants and other department heads within your company to update or tweak your technology plan to address unexpected costs and events or to take advantage of current opportunities in the marketplace. Once you start a project outlined in your plan, you may also have to adjust cost estimates or deadlines to have a more realistic framework to guide progress. Just because adjustments might need to be made down the road, however, that does not negate the prudence and benefits of engaging in a formal strategic planning process at the start of the year. Doing so can help you optimize IT spending and proactively invest for the future, creating a culture of continuous improvement rather than merely trying to stay on top of day-to-day technology needs.

From the get-go, and along the way, your organization should take advantage of the knowledge and expertise of IT consultants and advisors who are more well-versed on current market trends, innovative technologies, and emerging cyber-security threats.

 

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How To Make Your Presentations Rock With Live Captions & Subtitles in PowerPoint

PowerPoint is regaining a much-needed edge in the world of business presentations. Microsoft recently announced some new exciting and easy to use features that will improve presentation design for those who subscribe to Office 365 and who have PowerPoint 2016 or beyond. Some experts are calling the new features like the Live Captions and Subtitles innovative and even, sleek.

1. Live Captions and Subtitles: This is a new and very innovative feature to PowerPoint that transforms and even translates what you are saying into helpful real-time captions and subtitles. These live captions and subtitles also support those who are deaf and hard of hearing in Microsoft’s mission to use artificial intelligence (AI) for social good. This feature also engages those who speak an entirely different language making your PowerPoint presentations more inclusive. This feature will support 12 languages and display captions or subtitles in over 60 languages using AI.

2. Zoom: Say goodbye to clicking from one slide to another and keeping track of how all of those slides work together. PowerPoint’s new Zoom feature is like a presentation’s visual table of contents. You select the slides you want to feature and the Zoom tool will automatically become the menu of all the presentation’s slides. Plus, while on the menu slide, you can “zoom in” or focus in on different parts of the presentation. Zoom is a creative an eye-catching feature that allows presenters to share the overall context of the presentation without having to click through a variety of slides. And it is straightforward to use with three options; the summary zoom, section zoom or the slide zoom. The summary and section features create menu slides that allow presenters to select what to click on. The slide feature cleverly allows you to include a clickable thumbnail into a slide as opposed to the menu slide.

3. Morph: The Morph slide transition feature gives you the opportunity to easily create interesting and seamless transitions between slides, smoother animations, and object movements among slides. Morph allows a presentation of individual slides become like a continual thread creating a type of video. Experts suggest the best way to create a successful Morph is to select two slides that include at least two common objects. A tip is to copy and paste the common object onto two slides and then move the object to a different location on the second slide.

Make YOUR PRESENTATIONS ROCK!

4. Slide Hyperlinking: This is a game changer in PowerPoint’s features. Slide Hyperlinking feature allows you to click on any slide within your presentation creating a more interactive and better flowing presentation. There is a feature, “place in this document” that allows this to happen. If an audience member has a question concerning information on a previous slide, the hyperlink feature takes you back instantaneously.

5. Designer: PowerPoint has taken the mystery out of beautiful presentations with Designer. Designer helps and inspires you to create professional looking slides with ease. This feature will generate a design concept as soon as a photo or other content is inserted. A template including color schemes, font types and selections, and other stylings are recommended. In the end, Design saves you time, effort and stress when creating a presentation.

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What Is the Difference Between Managed Services and Break/Fix IT Services?

Break Fix Computer Services

Computer systems have a way of breaking at the worst possible time: in the middle of your business’s rush season, right before a long weekend or when your regular IT technicians are on vacation. When this happens, many organizations call a repair service, looking for an estimate on getting back to work as quickly as possible. While this can be an acceptable solution in the short-term, it can become quite expensive regarding lost productivity and direct costs over a more extended period. When you’re not able to plan ahead for the costs associated with a problem, you may find that your IT budgets are short when you get ready to implement the “next big thing” for your business users. Reduce the overall risk to your business and protect your ongoing profitability by implementing a managed IT services model.

What Are Break/Fix IT Services?

At their most basic, break/fit IT services are precisely that — when something breaks, you call someone to fix the problem. While this is a highly simplistic explanation, it represents a more reactive approach to technical problem resolution. Instead of actively looking for ways to partner with organizations to enhance their security, shore up problems and enhance usability, companies who specialize in break/fix solutions are waiting to hear about a problem before they jump into action. When that happens, technicians work with your business remotely or come onsite to diagnose the problem, ultimately charging your business an expansive hourly rate for the resolution. You pay only for services that you’re using when you need to use them. While there are no monthly or ongoing fees, it can be complicated to predict when you’re going to have a problem or the extent of the costs required to fix the issues.

If the technician you work with doesn’t have experience with your particular platforms, they may spend a fair bit of time getting up to speed and researching the issue and resolution. If the problem isn’t fixed the first time, you’ll be charged each time technicians spend time working with your business. It’s difficult if not impossible to predict long-term support costs with this model and since technicians are paid by the hour, there isn’t a compelling case for them to quickly come to a resolution that gets your teams back online.

How Are IT Managed Services Different from Break/Fix?

With an IT managed services model, you’re paying a consistent monthly rate to ensure that your business infrastructure remains secure, scalable and accessible. An IT managed services contract often includes guaranteed uptime and specific expectations around how quickly questions are answered or solutions provided. This means that your IT department is able to accurately project costs over time while still maintaining a high-performance, complex environment. This type of model allows your technology team to offload many of the day-to-day tasks associated with infrastructure management, such as:

  • Password resets
  • File and folder recovery
  • Application of software and security patches
  • Virus and malware protection
  • Server scaling
  • Software license management
  • Business continuity and disaster recovery solutions
  • Mobile device management
  • Security and compliance support

Each of these services provides a unique value to your business while allowing IT professionals with the capacity to push internal business and technology initiatives forward.

Enhanced Security Solutions

A key concern for businesses today is the security of systems and data — both information that is in transit as well as at rest. With a managed services IT provider, you have the assurance of a team of security experts actively reviewing your business’s security and performance metrics. Proactive monitoring of a wide range of systems from a central interface allows your managed services partner to offer proactive recommendations to enhance your security as well as spot problems and begin immediate remediation. A data breach can cost your business thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars, but a quick catch of a vulnerability can often be patched before cybercriminals have an opportunity to slip through your security procedures. This augmented security posture is particularly important for organizations storing personal, health or financial information for their customers.

Whether you are currently looking for an IT services partner or just exploring the idea of moving in this direction, the benefits are clear. More predictable cost structures over time, a deeper well of expertise on which to draw and the ability to quickly return to productivity are all compelling arguments for this proactive approach to your information technology infrastructure.

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Why Business Must Have A Security Focused IT Consulting Company

When you are choosing the best IT consulting for your business, it is critical that you find a company that is extremely focused on all of the elements of security that can be a threat. Many of the best IT consulting companies go the extra mile for their clients by acting as a Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP), which allows all aspects of consultation to involve attention to security details.

Small Business Cybersecurity

Understanding Why Security Focus Is Critical

Cybersecurity threats are a significant problem for all business owners and corporations, whether they are small with only a few computers or massive with on-site servers and a lot of systems. A lot of big names have been targeted in recent years, including companies like Yahoo and Facebook, which shows that even companies with millions to invest in cybersecurity can face issues.

While security threats affect businesses of all sizes, smaller companies can suffer the hardest hits because they often do not have the funding to recover. The National Security Alliance says that about 50 percent of small businesses have faced an attack and about 60 percent of small and medium-sized businesses go under as soon as six months after an attack.

Many Businesses Lack the Security Protocols Needed

One of the most significant problems that allow businesses to be vulnerable to an attack is there is not enough integrated security protection. It is not uncommon for smaller business owners do not have the funding in place from the time a business is developed to pay close enough attention to building the most secure data setup. Many of these companies rely on a primary operating system that only boasts a typical firewall or antivirus program, but much more is necessary for absolute protection. If a hacker with ill intent manages to get through a basic firewall or antivirus program, they can get into the entire system.

The best cybersecurity protection is an all-encompassing thing; built along with the entire system and weaved through all the programs and operating functions of the system’s components. Therefore, having a good business IT security consultant to work with you from start to finish is always for the best of your business. The most efficient and protected business will have around-the-clock protection from a qualified IT consultant or cyber security expert, and sometimes both.

Protection Provided by a Security-Focused IT Consulting Service

The overall role of a security-focused IT consulting service will be to protect your data, your hardware, and your business operation. Certain things like frequent security scans of the entire system, consistent upgrades to security firmware, and ongoing attention to the latest security threats will be an integral part of the services offered by an IT consulting company with an intrinsic focus on cybersecurity threats.

Beyond the typical measures to keep your data and hardware protected, the company will offer things like:

  • Utilizing intrusion detection and protection methods to make sure the IT team is aptly alerted when there are the smallest signs of malicious activity.
  • Monitoring network traffic and staying alert to any drastic changes that could be due to a compromise of your system.
  • Building multi-layer firewall protection systems that are hard to penetrate completely.
  • Incorporating efficient and up-to-date antivirus programs designed to scan, contain, and remove any fragment of malicious files.
  • Providing immediate response to cybersecurity threats and attacks when the timing is the most critical to protect your data.
  • Making sure your employees have the training materials needed, so they know how to recognize threats and suspicious activity.
  • Offering off-site storage for data to protect your information in the event of a significant compromise.
  • Giving your business IT systems the necessary attention and upgrades to comply with the most recent standards in security.
  • Informing you off cybersecurity insurance products to help protect your business in the event of an attack.
  • Testing for the vulnerability of your system on a regular basis to track down any weak points in your system setup.

How to Find the Best Security-Focused IT Service

Not every IT consulting company is going to offer the exact same level of care when it comes to security. Therefore, as a business owner or executive in charge of overseeing IT needs, it is vital that you know how to find the best company that will keep your security held as important. Look for an IT service provider who acts doubly as a Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP). These companies will have a complete dedication to keeping all aspects of your systems secure.

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Questions To Ask When Interviewing IT Companies In Dallas

Sure, you know what interview questions to ask potential employees at your Dallas company. You may even know the perfect questions to ask new clients or other companies who provide outsourced services like accounting, payroll processing, or event management.

But what about information technology — IT. How are you when it comes to IT companies in Dallas and what they should be able to do for your business? Do you know the right questions to ask?

For starters, before we get into the key questions to pose to potential IT providers, be grateful you’ve made it this far. A lot of Dallas companies slog away, doing their own IT in-house for years — and they reap what they sow: Slow systems, buggy software, weak security, and other serious problems.

Now that you’re on the path to sourcing Dallas computer support from a local IT company, you’re headed for smoother internal systems, a better web presence, stronger security, improved lead generation, and happier clients and customers (even more satisfied employees, for that matter).

It’s all down to finding the right IT service provider for you.

As you interview potential candidates in the Dallas area, we recommend asking the following essential questions:

Top Questions to Ask Potential IT Companies in Dallas

1. What is the size and scope of your company?

It’s up to you what level of service, attention, and care you’d like from your IT company. If you need someone to handle your cybersecurity, for instance, you may not mind hiring a large company with a long list of clients. You might fit in very nicely among their clientele.

On the other hand, some Dallas companies require a lot of attention and support. Perhaps you run a large business yourself and need IT help to handle cybersecurity, internal software systems, cloud hosting and other cloud services, computer repair, and more. In this case, you should look for a company who doesn’t take on too many clients and can give the necessary attention and devotion to your company.

2. What types of companies do you primarily service?

Many IT companies service only a specific industry — or several industries. For example, a given IT company may have narrowed their market to only provide IT support to healthcare providers or lawyers.

Make sure that your company and industry falls into the service area of the IT company you are interviewing. This is essential because it allows you to know that your IT service company will understand your industry and your needs and pain points. If they do not understand how your industry and particular business function on a day-to-day basis, they will not be able to give you optimal support and care.

3. If we sign on for your services, what does this process look like?

In other words, how long are your contracts or do you use contacts at all?

You’ll soon find that some IT support companies take on work that’s primarily on the job to job basis. For example, they may necessarily be on retainer for you if you need emergency computer repair services, online support, or other random assistance. On the other hand, they may offer full or partial services on a contract basis. For instance, you may be able to pay top dollar and receive every service they provide — from the installation of new hardware and software to cybersecurity, computer repair, cloud support, and more.

Some companies offer these full-contract services, and others do not. You need to know what their contracts may look like if you decide to sign with them. Most importantly, you need to know what is not included in your agreement, should you sign one.

You also need to know how long a given contract will be valid for. The majority of IT companies will have a minimum time commitment, which may or may not work for you.

Finally, as a side note, don’t forget to ask about how you will be charged. Terms may vary, but it’s vital for you to know whether you need to pay quarterly, monthly, annually, or in another scheduled timeframe.

4. When we have a problem, what will the response time be like?

Technological issues at Dallas companies are rarely problems that can be solved “whenever.” Instead, they need to be resolved as quickly and efficiently as possible; otherwise, the business can take a hit.

As you speak with potential IT companies in Dallas, ask them what their response times are like. Often, times will vary depending on what you’re willing to pay for. For example, if you’re up for paying premium prices, you may be at the very top of their list, in that they will respond to your request for service — whenever, wherever.

5. Do you have past clients or references we can speak to?

Lastly, if you want an excellent idea of how this IT services company is going to work for your Dallas business, it’s best to speak to someone who has worked with the company before. For this reason, it’s perfectly fine to inquire about current companies the IT service company contracts with, past companies they’ve worked with, or other references they can offer.

Now, the job is yours: You need to contact these references directly and ask them their honest opinions about IT service company you are interviewing. You’ll need to have a list of questions to pose to these references as well. Some optional questions to consider are as follows:

  • How long did you work with Company A?
  • What was your overall impression of Company A?
  • When you had a problem, how long did it take Company A to fix it?
  • Was there a reason that you left Company A?
  • Would you recommend that my Dallas business work with Company A as well?

Remember that asking the right questions to potential Dallas IT companies is critical to choosing the proper tech support for your company.

Your employees, your customers and clients, and the future of your business depend on having optimal IT support, and narrowing down your candidates to the best applicant is the only way to accomplish this truly.

Good luck as you search for your new IT support provider in Dallas!

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