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Information Technology News & Information

Did you know you can use Excel to create process diagrams in Visio?

It’s true – and it’s a whole lot easier than you probably think! Most of us are visual learners. Our brains process visuals more effectively than written words.  Plus, we also retain more information from images—Days later we can easily recall a visual form versus words on a page. Diagrams make it easy to convey “big- picture” ideas and bring those details to life. This is essential in the world of business, which depends heavily on employees working together on projects. These concepts are some of the many reasons why Visio’s new Data Visualizer feature is so useful. With Visio Pro for Office 365, you can process and map data from Microsoft Excel and bring it to life in the form of stunning data-driven diagrams. The Visio Data Visualizer reduces the number of steps required to do this and gives you the option to create diagrams based on data parameters. Visio’s Data Visualizer: Breaking It Down Business analysts often use tables in Microsoft Excel to display complicated processes and metadata. Now, thanks to Visio’s Data Visualizer feature, they can convert this information into a fully visualized diagram with just a few clicks of their mouse. There are two options to choose from: You can use a pre-made Excel template or an existing spreadsheet of your own design. The pre-made templates provide for both basic and cross-functional tables containing a wide range of criteria like: Process step numbers Phases Descriptions Functions Dependencies Owners, and much more Once an Excel table has been populated, all you have to do is launch the Visio Data Visualizer wizard to help you complete the remaining steps. The wizard is designed to walk you through the process, ensuring the diagram is created with minimal fuss, and without losing essential information. Regardless of whether you choose to use the pre-made templates or create one of your own, the Data Visualizer wizard will help you map flowchart parts like swim lanes and connectors – Before now, this would have to be done manually. Here’s the best part of all—The resulting diagram in Data Visualizer is linked back to that original Excel table. If the data is modified or changed in any way, the diagram automatically updates accordingly. This means that Data Visualizer is a process you only have to run once, and from that point on, any other changes you make in Excel are visualized instantly. Shape modifications in Visio are still preserved if the Excel data is changed. This ensures everyone stays on the same page when working on major projects, prevents confusion, and increases the ability of people to collaborate and share information. Thanks to the new Data Visualizer feature, you can save both your Visio diagrams and associated Excel mapping tables in a single package for easy sharing.  This is perfect when the file has been completed, and no further changes will be made. All you have to do is employ the “Export as a Template Package” feature and your designs are preserved for all time. And, thanks to the flexibility of the associated file format, these packages can then be shared with others, or even reused on future projects. This totally removes the need to create the same diagram time and again from scratch. Not only will this make the lives of both Excel and Visio users easier than ever before, but it also encourages total process consistency and maximum visibility across an entire organization. When sharing files like these across a business, many people worry about variations on files, old versions, and outdated data. Perhaps the best news of all is that the underlying Excel data travels with the Visio Data Visualizer file wherever it goes, guaranteeing all team members have access to the most recent version of a diagram at all times.   While solutions like Visio and Microsoft Excel are undoubtedly valuable, their true power is unlocked when combining them to reach common goals. The volumes of mission-critical data your business creates on a daily basis shouldn’t exist in a silo. Visio’s Data Visualizer goes a long way towards breaking down those silos. If your business is in {city}, and you have any questions about using Excel data to create process diagrams in Visio—Or, if you have questions about other essential IT-related topics, please don’t delay—Contact {company} at {phone} or {email}.  We’re always here to help.

Information Technology News & Information

Don’t Get Spooked Out This Halloween MS Outlook Users

“What’s This About an Updated Protocol in Outlook on Halloween?  Should I Be Concerned?” If you’re like most people, you rely on Outlook email to maintain connections both inside and outside your business.  Now there’s critical protocol change in Outlook that could negatively affect your ability to use it if you’re not informed. If you’re running Office 2007, 2010, 2013 or 2016, take heed – The winds of change (or perhaps a hurricane) are coming your way. On October 31, 2017, Microsoft will officially replace RPC over HTTP protocol in Exchange Online with the more modern MAPI over HTTP. No, it’s not a trick for Halloween, however it can trip you up if you’re not prepared. Whether your specific configuration is affected depends on a variety of factors, such as whether you’re running on premise or cloud-based software. At a bare minimum, you should review your current control settings to ensure the latest patches and updates were applied. The Updated Protocol In May 2014, Microsoft released an updated protocol called MAPI over HTTP to create a modern networking environment that supported seamless mobility, regardless of the device used. This release included a time schedule to retire RPC over HTTP, a 10+ year old protocol that doesn’t provide the same ability to hop between networks as the updated MAPI convention. Remote Procedure Calls, or RPCs, were revolutionary in their day, as they allowed Outlook Anywhere to transport information without the need for a firewall or VPN (virtual private network) –as long as a secure HTTPS connection was enabled. Microsoft’s utilization of this protocol allowed Outlook clients to reduce dependence on extended synchronization sessions and tiresome dial-up connections, and move into the new wave of WiFi connectivity and mobile computing. Today, the enhanced functionality from MAPI over HTTP enables additional sign-on scenarios, removes dependence on legacy technology, and improves overall connection resiliency when the network drops packets in transit. “Will My Platform Be Affected?” Organizations are currently using an on-premise Exchange Server will continue business as usual and experience no adverse effects from the protocol migration. (If you run Windows 10 Mobile, Outlook on the Web, Outlook for Mac, iOS, Windows Mobile or Android you won’t be affected by the switch.) However, businesses connected to Exchange Online mailboxes in Office 365, and that use Outlook for Windows must review their current setup and determine which upgrade path makes sense (or they risk losing system functionality and availability). “What Upgrade Recommendations Do You Advise?” In many cases, the best recommendation is to bring your Outlook installation into a more contemporary platform, such as the latest version of Outlook 2016 within Office 365 (part of Office 365 ProPlus). However, if this option isn’t feasible for you to do before October 31, 2017, there are a few options that will allow you to continue using your corporate email and avoid disruptions in connectivity until you can put a more permanent solution in place. The minimum updates are listed below: Office 2016: December 8, 2015 update, MSI: 16.0.4312.1001 Office 2013: Office 2013 Service Pack 1 (SP1) and December 8, 2015 update, MSI: 15.0.4779.1002 Office 2010: Office 2010 Service Pack 2 (SP2) and December 8, 2015 update, MSI: 14.0.7164.5002 However, while these updates should provide you the ability to maintain usability of your Outlook software, it’s recommended that you move to Office 365. Remember, maintaining a solid update schedule for your office productivity software ensures you’ll have access to security patches for identified vulnerabilities. “What Are the Benefits of Migrating to Office 365?” While some organizations are still most comfortable with an on-premise solution, Office 365 offers a variety of benefits. Since all upgrades are handled on the server side, there’s no need to update individual workstations, or even push an upgrade to users. Office 365 provides a variety of benefits over on-premise solutions, including: Scalable options that allow you to right-size your licensing over time. There’s no need to overspend on licensing when planning for future growth. You can select the pricing level that fits your budget and needs. It provides the flexibility to install one license for up to five individual devices. It reduces the overall risk of data loss due to rigorous backup and disaster- recovery protocols. There’s no need to perform upgrades, as new functionality is available immediately. While migration can be a bit challenging, with the support of a managed service provider, you can successfully achieve a fast adoption of Office 365 online. If you need assistance with your Outlook Exchange or Office 365 migration, contact the professionals at {company} at {phone} email}. Our security and infrastructure professionals will work closely with you to ensure you’re receiving the best possible pricing and support for your office productivity needs.

Information Technology News & Information

Windows 10 Fall Creators Update

Should I Consider the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update for My Business? The Windows 10 Fall Creators Update is right around the corner—And it’s coming with a number of incredible new features that you’ll definitely want to take advantage of. To say that Microsoft’s Windows 10 operating system is popular is something of an understatement – Particularly as far as adoption rates are concerned. By the end of 2016, Windows 10 was already running on more than 270 million devices around the world. This put it on track to reach one billion users a bit faster than expected! A large part of this had to do with Microsoft’s massive course correction from the poorly received (yet widely used) Windows 8. After the initial and disastrous launch of the 8 operating system, (and in an effort to fix as many of the flaws as possible) Microsoft responded quickly with Windows 8.1. This was a bit more in line with the previous (and more popular) Windows 7. However, by that time, it was “too little, too late.” The Windows 10 Fall Creators Update—You’re Sure to Like It. Windows 10 users already received one fairly popular “Creators Update” earlier this year. Another is right around the corner, as the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update is set to launch. It brings a number of changes that business users, in particular, are definitely going to applaud. Expected to launch in October 2017, the Fall Creators Update can be summed up in a single word: “improvements.” This isn’t a “reinvent the wheel” update—And for many, not nearly as drastic as the previous 2017 update that rolled out in May, June and July. It does, however, bring a variety of “under-the-hood” and productivity improvements that are more than worth exploring. The biggest set of changes involve the Windows Shell, which is the main part of the operating system. Made up of components like the Start Menu, the Taskbar and File Explorer, the new version of the operating system will bring with it the following new enhancements: The Action Center that features a more fluent User Interface design, and will share the same acrylic background as the Start Menu. A variety of new icons added to the Start Menu. The Start Menu that can be resized diagonally – something that we’ve all been clamoring for. The ability to resize the Start Menu, particularly horizontally—now a much smoother experience. Improved OneDrive integration with File Explorer. It’s now possible to see files that have been saved to the cloud with a new “On-Demand Sync” option. Microsoft’s Edge browser will also see some much-needed improvement, particularly with the way it handles file compatibility with formats like PDF and EPUB. It’s now possible to “ink” onto PDFs directly within Microsoft Edge.  This prevents the need to download a file and open it in a separate program. You can also see the table of contents from within a PDF, and directly interact with forms within a document. This brings Edge much closer in line to applications like Adobe Reader. Settings: Some of the most relevant changes for enterprise users come in the way of settings adjustments. The “About” area of the “Settings” app has been completely redesigned to display more relevant information and paint a much clearer picture regarding the health of a particular machine. “Storage Sense” is also a new feature making its debut. It allows the operating system to automatically delete files in the “Download” folder after a period of 30 days. “Storage Sense” can also be used to automatically delete previous versions of Windows after a successful upgrade has taken place. Remote Desktop functionality, now in the “Settings” app, brings it more in line with how you’ll actually interact with this feature. Updates: Each update file has its own individual progress indicator when downloading and installing – making it easy to see what’s going on “behind the scenes,” and how much time is left before updates are available. There’s also a new “Activity Monitor” that shows comprehensive statistics on downloads, updates and other essential factors that occurred during the previous month. General Improvements: The Fall Creators Update now allows Windows 10 to run on the ARM64 architecture (Advanced RISC Machine, a family of reduced instruction set computing (RISC) architectures for computer processors). This will let you “future proof” your machines in a much more effective way. Windows is also now “smart” enough to throttle inactive programs, which should go a long way towards generating incremental performance improvements across the board. Cortana, Microsoft’s Siri-like voice assistance, will also support dedicated speaker devices – something that should improve compatibility with peripheral hardware, and address certain accessibility concerns that some had in the past. Our Advice? –-You Should Definitely Consider Windows 10 Fall Creators Update for Your Business.  Windows 10 has come a long way since its original release, especially in terms of the productivity and collaborative benefits that it can bring to enterprise users in particular. For a company still struggling to recover from the lukewarm reception to operating systems like Windows 8 (and the outright disaster of Windows Vista), the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update proves that Microsoft is willing to listen to the people who matter the most of all: its users. If you’d like to find out more information about the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update—Or for answers to your IT questions—Contact {company} at {phone} or {email}. We’re {city}’s trusted, IT Managed Service Providers.

Information Technology News & Information

Is Your Business Lacking Productivity?

Is Your Business Lacking the Productivity You Want?  If so, Look to Office 365. I’ve said it before, and will again (because you’ll thank me once I’ve convinced you)—Microsoft Office 365 increases productivity. With cloud-based collaboration, your employees can use work efficiently as a team wherever they are. Your success is directly related to its productivity, especially in today’s fast-paced world. If your employees don’t work productively as they should, your competitors will outpace you—Microsoft Office 365 has become the norm for small businesses today, including your competitors. Office 365 Makes Collaborating Easy. Working with Office 365 improves the how your teams collaborate. (We use it for our business, and what a difference it’s made.)  Multiple employees can collaborate in real time. They can use Yammer on their computers or any other device to keep up to date on the company’s latest news and current activities. Try One Drive for Business or SharePoint, and let your employees easily share documents with each other while still preventing unauthorized access or changes. OneNote makes it convenient for staff members to leave notes and feedback for group projects, and Skype for Business makes one-to-one video chats, and even large meetings possible at the click of a button. Microsoft Office 365 helps your employees work together on projects in real time, exchange files and documents, and to do so securely and easily no matter where they are. Painlessly Manage Upgrade Costs.   Technology is changing at a rapid pace, and keeping your business up-to-date with the latest systems can feel like a never-ending uphill climb. However, Microsoft’s flexible and scalable subscription model allows you to deploy only the licenses you need. Previous models required the purchase of new licenses, ongoing installation, and upgrades that couldn’t be managed remotely.  This resulted in a confusing mishmash of different releases within various business departments. Plus, software upgrades in past iterations of productivity software required significant upfront investments. Not so with Office 365—You can spread the costs over a longer period of time, making the overall upgrade more affordable for businesses of all sizes. With Office 365, your employees automatically receive upgrades along with new functionality that helps them work more efficiently. Your Employees Will Benefit from Multi-Device Compatibility. Small businesses are notorious for using a variety of platforms based on employee requests and requirements—This makes it challenging to successfully deploy traditional software models. With the flexible deployment model of Office 365, a single license covers up to five devices at one time, with the ability to switch a license quickly as needed. Even better, the type of device used no longer matters—The same license you use for a Mac can also be used for a Microsoft Surface, iPhone or iPad. When employees are firm believers in BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), and can work with their chosen devices, productivity skyrockets. Enhance Your Customers’ Experience with Office 365. Understanding the needs of your customers is a primary driver in today’s hyper-connected world. When your service reps can interact with prospects at the time, and in the fashion they want, they’re much more likely to connect with them. Collaboration tools like Skype and Yammer allow you to message your customers in real time. Quickly spin up a video meeting or a chat to resolve their problems or concerns. Plus, your teams will be more productive with tools like Exchange and SharePoint to manage, store, organize and search for documents their customers need. Office 365 Provides Flexible Plans to Meet Your Needs. Microsoft Office 365 pricing starts at an incredibly low entry point per employee, and can be scaled up to allow for even the largest enterprise deployment. There are seven versions of Office 365 to choose from, while keeping operating costs under control. What’s even better is that there’s no need to use business apps if your team already has a solution in place. This low entry point allows you to selectively implement exactly the right solutions to meet your requirements. For example, if you want to move to a Microsoft-centric webinar platform, but still have several months left on a prior contract, you won’t be forced to buy your way out of your previous contract. Instead, you can treat the platform as a scaled rollout and implement additional functionality as needed. Take Advantage of Real-Time Analytics with Office 365. Microsoft’s Power BI is one of the most comprehensive suites of analytics visualizations on the market today. And, the self-service business intelligence functionality allows your employees to weave together disparate data sources to create a compelling story about the work they’ve completed. Perhaps one of the least-understood platforms available to smaller businesses, Power BI provides a means for effective decision making without the effort required to implement traditional sales cubes or Big-Data platforms. A key reason for implementing Microsoft Office 365 solutions is to remove the barriers between your employees and the technology they need to do great work at any time. Having a subscription-based productivity suite provides you with the latest collaboration tools to drive business advances while keeping costs at a minimum. We benefit from Microsoft Office 365, and so will you. Feel free to contact us with any questions you have. {company} {phone} {email} Work with the professionals at {company} to leverage the power of Microsoft Office 365.  We’ll ensure it improves your productivity and efficiency.  

Information Technology News & Information

“White Worm” and Other Cutting-Edge Techniques to Fight Malware

Check out the most advanced security tactics in the fight against hackers for companies like yours. One of the worst things about malware is that it never stays the same. There’s always a new threat, vulnerability, or revised virus cropping up. But there’s good news—A lot of innovation is happening in the world of cybersecurity Let’s take a look at some of the latest advances and how they can help businesses like yours in the fight against hackers. The “White Worm” Approach For a while now, universities in countries like Sweden, Denmark, and Russia have been studying the Mirai worm, an annoying piece of malware that crept into programs and wreaked havoc. However, security experts at these universities had a good idea—What if they could turn Mirai into a vaccine to use against similar types of worms? It’s not exactly a new idea, but it is finally showing real-world success. The White Worm Project created a vaccine that uses Mirai-like capabilities to access devices and search for vulnerabilities. However, instead of exploiting those vulnerabilities, the new software (called AntibIoTic for its smart-device application) adds an extra security code instead. The code alerts device owners about potential problems and changes the authorization settings so malware can’t get in. Additional white worms can be designed to shore up lagging security, warn users about new threats, preemptively protect devices, and more. The future of anti-malware is looking a lot better! Advanced Machine Learning AI (Artificial Intelligence) If you’ve kept up on the latest malware developments and security solutions, you’ve probably heard about machine learning and AI programs. Large security organizations are now using AI programs to identify aberrations. These aberrations are numerous and customizable, and focus on any out-of-the-ordinary activity from both software and account users. They indicate anything from malware attacks to identity theft, so the “AI approach” has very quickly become popular. If you receive threat intelligence reports from Microsoft Office 365, you’ve benefited from this technology. The software adapts based on what it learns. For example, AI software might send 10 alerts to a security administrator. The administrator notes that five of these threats are false positives (ordinary activity that’s just a little unusual, but not threatening). The AI uses its machine-learning capabilities to include this information in its future scans—adding more accuracy over time to pinpoint the security problem. VM Browsers Browsers get hit with a lot of malware that can be challenging to block. One new solution that’s getting praise from security experts is a VM (virtual machine) browser approach. In this case, a business only allows browsers to be used when they’re opened in a virtual machine. A VM is created with each new browsing session. If malware manages to make it through the browser, it will get stuck in the VM and be destroyed when the browser session is complete. This approach is interesting because it also allows for the possibility of popular “security browsers” to be used at the professional level, a trend that’s just off the horizon. Email Authentication DMARC or Domain Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance is a term you can expect to hear frequently in the near future. It’s an email authentication standard that helps companies to secure their email (to prevent hackers from spoofing them for phishing attacks) and confirm the emails of others (to stop incoming phishing attacks). Customized authentication standards open the path to better and faster security for businesses worldwide. Architectural Security The Internet of Things (IoT) is defined as a pervasive and ubiquitous network which enables monitoring and control of the physical environment by collecting, processing, and analyzing the data generated by sensors or smart objects. While many existing security technologies and solutions can be leveraged in a network architecture, there are unique challenges in the IoT space. Architectural security refers to how the Internet of Things is set up. It’s about designing and producing smart devices with security in mind – making them more difficult to access, and with communication features that decrease the likelihood of an attack. Encrypted Detection If you’ve attended any of the latest security conferences, you’ve probably heard talk about encrypted detection. However, encrypted data is hard to scan for signs of hacking. In the past security solutions had to unencrypt data and analyze it for threats, or just let the encrypted data pass and hope it didn’t include anything dangerous. Modern solutions have found ways to search for threats in encrypted data, without compromising its encryption. This is a big deal for companies that want to protect their data – especially wireless data –and should soon become standard once the last few wrinkles are ironed out. Security as Development During program development, security is often added on after the core workings of the program are already complete. This is problematic – it tends to create a lot more vulnerabilities. We’re finally seeing a concerted demand for developers to start including security aspects in their initial coding. This new standard could help secure many of the applications on the market. Do you need help with data security for your business in {city}? The team at {company} understands these challenges.  We’ll work with you to create a comprehensive security plan to protect your business from data breaches, malware or other cyber threats.  Contact our security professionals at {phone} or {email} to schedule your no-obligation consult.

Information Technology News & Information

Don’t get cut off from your Outlook Inbox on October 31!

Microsoft is the best choice for almost all daily work in the office, whether it’s Microsoft Word for documentation, Microsoft Outlook for email or Microsoft Excel for spreadsheets, so why not get the most out of those services? With the right Microsoft Office 365 expert, you can do even more with it. However, as one of the world’s biggest technology companies, Microsoft knows that a product has to continually change in order to keep up with the ever-changing demands of users. Unfortunately, this can sometimes cause issues when a relied upon feature or version of software becomes unsupported. Case in point – Microsoft has recently announced that an upcoming change will affect how Office 365 connects to Outlook, which could keep some users from accessing their inboxes. This key change will end up affecting all Outlook users that are using a version more than two years old to connect to an Office 365 mailbox. That is, the protocol that allowed Outlook versions from 2007, 2010, and 2013 to connect with Office 365 (RPC over HTTP, or, Outlook Anywhere) will stop being supported by Office 365 after October 31, 2017. Details include: Users of Outlook 2007 will not be able to connect to Office 365 after October 31. If that is the version you are currently using, you will therefore need to upgrade to a newer version of Outlook. Users of Outlook 2010 will only be able to connect to Office 365 after October 31 if the proper updates have been installed in order to meet or exceed a specific build number: 14.0.7164.5002. Furthermore, it’s important not to forget that Microsoft mainstream support for Outlook 2010 has expired. Users Outlook 2013 will only be able to connect to Office 365 after October 31 if the proper updates have been installed in order to meet or exceed a specific build number: 15.0.4779.1002. So what can you do to keep connected to your Outlook inbox? First of all: don’t worry. With expert Microsoft Office 365 support from {company}, you can rest easy. We can handle your update processes and any migrations or further support needed to ensure that you and your employees always have access to your Outlook inboxes, both before and after October 31. In order to keep you connected we’ll do the following for you: Verify your business’ Outlook versions and build numbers Inform you of any required upgrades that need to be made by October 31 Let you know of any opportunities to move to enhanced Office 365 licensing options that will both handle the necessary upgrades and improve your productivity Implement an Office 365 data backup strategy if your current strategy isn’t adequate to protect your Exchange, SharePoint, and OneDrive for Business data Once we’ve got you properly setup to keep you connected to your Outlook inboxes, don’t forget that we can do a lot more as well. If you don’t feel that you’re getting everything you think you should from Microsoft Office 365, then allow {company} to help. Our team of Microsoft experts is well-versed in everything that Office 365 has to offer, from the core functions of workhorses like PowerPoint and Excel to the hidden features and handy tricks that will allow you to use old standards in new and exciting ways. Upgrading to a more recent version of Microsoft Office 365 and actually using this new version to its full potential requires a solid grasp of exactly what it has to offer, which features and applications will have the most benefit for your unique business, and how to leverage the cloud aspect of this productivity suite to improve the way your staff gets work done. Partnering with Microsoft Office 365 expert takes the guesswork out of it, and offers your business a valuable resource to help your team use this game-changing Office suite to your maximum advantage. Because what’s the point of investing in high-end technology if you’re not going to use it the way it was intended? The {company} team has handled countless businesses’ transitions to Microsoft Office 365, taking care of everything from the initial install to helping to set up access to OneDrive to keeping track of subscription and licensing information. By making sure that every aspect of Office 365 has been setup correctly and taking the time to help your staff understand how the new tools they’ve been given actually work, your business can take advantage of a host of incredible new options that will help to simplify tasks, speed up projects, and impress your clients. The key to finding real success with Microsoft Office 365 is having the needed resources and support in place to keep things running smoothly. That means having an experienced IT provider like {company} taking care of needed patches and updates, monitoring and maintaining the security of your entire IT environment, and helping you manage the devices that have access to mission-critical data and applications. Microsoft Office 365 is flexible, versatile, and surprisingly simple. It’s just a matter of having the right IT provider implement and leverage this incredible productivity tool, making sure you’re not missing out on what Microsoft Office 365 has to offer. Interested? Call {company} right away at {phone} or email {email} to learn mo

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Do This On Your Business Website Right Now

If you don’t use HTTPS on your website, it will now be labeled “NOT SECURE” in Chrome. Even if you haven’t considered using HTTPS (HyperText Transfer Protocol “Secure”) for your business website, you’ve probably seen it before. The history of this security protocol goes back many years to the beginnings of the commercialized Internet – And it’s about to get a big emphasis, thanks to upcoming changes from Google. If you haven’t thought about transitioning your website to HTTPS, now is an excellent time to start making plans. Here’s why. HTTPS: The Security Format Ahead of Its Time The HTTPS protocol was developed in the mid-1990s thanks to efforts by companies like Netscape and Spyglass (remember them?). The problem was, at that time, the Internet wasn’t very secure, and exchanging data for commercial transactions (payment and contact info) was a risky business.  As a result, organizations developed SSL (secure sockets layer) security, encryption that could be used to verify their website’s authenticity and protect consumer information. This quickly became a go-to security measure for large online retailers, especially once Microsoft officially adopted HTTPS. Rival protocols battled for a few years, but as SSL continued to evolve, global standards took hold. By the 2000s, HTTPS had become the universal way to protect data and assure individuals that a site was secure. A Quick History of Google and HTTPS As the Internet grew in the 2000s, HTTPS slowly expanded beyond commercial sites into other types of websites, including news and service organizations. It moved slowly because internet security was still relatively new. HTTPS was primarily relegated to website data behind logins, or data managed by particularly large organizations. Google was surprisingly ambivalent about HTTPS for many years. It even refused to index HTTPS pages up through 2013.  It didn’t see those pages as an appreciable, easily measured part of the Internet. But this soon changed as Google realized the role it played by encouraging internet security through page rankings, and how it assigned value to online content. Google algorithm updates focused on improving the quality and safety of the Internet. They added a new algorithm in 2014 designed to factor in secure sites of all kinds. And, for the benefit of users, they started labeling secured sites more prominently in Chrome. This new algorithm had one primary purpose: It improved rankings for sites that invested in HTTPS security, in real time. This meant that companies could basically get a ranking boost just by switching to the HTTPS protocol.  However, there were difficulties in this approach. For one thing, while Google boosted HTTPS rankings, the company (probably unintentionally) made it difficult to change over to HTTPS with Google Webmaster Tools. Plus, the SEO boost that HTTPS provided was minuscule. This led companies to ask, “Well, why bother?” As a result, Google didn’t see the intended growth of HTTPS sites. Google’s Latest HTTPS Change. Fast-forward to the end of 2016: Data security has become more important than ever as security threats rise at an alarming rate. Today, Google has decided to take its HTTPS encouragement up several notches with a big upcoming change: Companies that adopt HTTPS will be designated as “SECURE” on Chrome browsers. Companies that don’t use HTTPS will now be labeled “NOT SECURE” when users open the site in Chrome. This will apply to all websites without HTTPS, no matter what other security measures they employ. This change will go into effect in October 2017 – a swiftly approaching deadline. Google didn’t mention whether or not it would add more weight to HTTPS in its ranking algorithm. They’re under no obligation to tell anyone if they’re changing the algorithm, so this move could easily be followed by harsher SEO penalties for HTTP-only sites. What Should You Do About HTTPS? Fortunately, Google is good about giving companies advice on what to do to improve their sites. If you’re worried, the company breaks down the solution into two different steps. First: Make sure that all forms associated with passwords and credit fields of any kind are provided via the HTTPS protocol. That means the entire page at the top-level must be HTTPS, as well as any iframe inputs. Don’t make the mistake of simply searching for, and converting all your iframes: Google specifically says this won’t work – you need to make the entire page HTTPS to avoid the “Not Secure” warning. Second: The first step is simply a patch to treat immediate symptoms. Your long-term solution should be to convert your entire site, in all its various forms, to HTTPS. The “Not Secure” warning will still show up on other pages without HTTPS. Customers may be less likely to notice it on, say, content-only pages, but it will be there, and you need to get rid of it. Remember, October 2017 is the cutoff date, so it’s important to make the change to HTTPS if you want to prevent the Chrome warning label from showing on your site. If your site is hosted, look at the services and packages provided by your host. Most will offer an upgrade to HTTPS that allows for a quick site conversion. Check to see if you have room in the budget for this upgrade. {company} helps businesses in {city} with security updates and data services. Contact us at {phone} or {email} for this, or other IT issues.

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Communicating IT Concepts the Easy Way: What You Need to Know

A discussion of how to best go about taking complicated IT concepts and communicating them to your team in the right way. The world of information technology is something of a natural contradiction. On the one hand, the resources that we depend so heavily on are designed to make our lives simpler, not more complex. They’re intended to allow us to work smarter, not harder. To do that, they need to be accessible to everyday people — both those who have devoted a lifetime of education to the topic and those who haven’t. Yet at the same time, IT professionals find themselves awash in a world of highly technical terms and acronyms that describe incredibly complex subjects. Again, being able to properly utilize those IT resources requires an infrastructure that is aligned with your long-term strategy, but oftentimes this level of technicality can keep most people at a distance. Luckily, communication skills will come in handy when operating in the IT space — just not necessarily in the way you may have thought. If you really want to learn how to communicate IT concepts in the easiest way possible to those who may not be experts, there are a few key things to keep in mind. Understand Your Audience In many ways, the secret to effective communication involves knowing who you’re speaking to and adapting to their capacity — regardless of whether you’re talking about IT, science, mathematics or some other complicated topic. If you’re speaking to a tech-based audience, naturally you would be able to get away with some of the jargon that keeps others at a distance. If you’re speaking to a non-technical audience, put things in terms of what they can do, not what they are. For example, don’t talk about the finer points of a server, breaking down the detailed technical specifications as precisely as you can. Talk instead about what that server does — how it changes their lives, makes things easier and the very real value that it provides. Your audience may not know how a server works at the end of your conversation, but they will know how it is about to change their lives and why it is so important. Get Comfortable With Metaphors and Analogies One of the best ways to take complicated IT concepts and distil them down into something more easily accessible for novices is to use metaphors and analogies when explaining certain key ideas. If you were trying to tackle a topic like the internet of things, for example, you wouldn’t necessarily describe the billions of connected devices that are designed to make up this concept over the course of the next few years. You wouldn’t talk about complicated sensors and other elements all creating, sending and receiving data among themselves at all times. Instead, you might focus in on something that is a point of reference in their lives — a more easily accessible idea like a thermostat that automatically learns your schedule and starts adjusting the temperature of your home based on the time of day and when you’re going to get home from work. Start simple with something that matters to them and build out to the broader and more complicated implications of the concept from there. Explain, Explain and then Explain Some More Another helpful way to explain complicated topics to non-IT people — which also works for explaining any other highly technical idea — is to get to the same destination in as many different ways as you can. Remember that everyone is a little bit different. Some people grasp new ideas right away, while others will require a bit of extra love and care. If there are two different ways to explain something, don’t pick one or the other. Instead, use both. If there are eight different ways to explain an IT concept, that’s even better. Though it may feel like overkill to you, remember that you’re the one who already grasps the concept — not the person you’re speaking to. At some point, something is going to stick and both parties will be much better off because of it. Lean Into Pop Culture to Make IT Sound Fun Finally, another useful way to take a complex idea and present it to a non-technical audience is to rely on pop culture and other types of references to make it memorable, relatable, and most importantly, fun. Think back a few years ago to the debut of the iPad. Though Apple’s tablet may seem commonplace today, it was a totally foreign concept to many people when it originally debuted. A lot of people didn’t really understand the broader implications of it or what allowed it to be more than just a giant iPhone. Explaining how a tablet fits into your workflow may be difficult when someone has just, minutes earlier, learned what a tablet is, but with pop culture you can do the next best thing. What is an iPad if not one of the communicator devices from Gene Roddenberry’s sci-fi classic “Star Trek”? Or how about that scene in “Minority Report” in which Tom Cruise is hiding on a subway train and he spots a man reading a digital newspaper that he’s controlling entirely through touch? Points of reference for modern day IT concepts and items exist all throughout popular culture. You should try to use them as a bit of a “common starting point” whenever you can. If someone understands your pop culture reference, terrific — you now have something to build from to introduce them to the more technical IT concepts with relative ease. IT concepts can often seem overwhelming and insurmountable — but if you approach things from the right direction, getting everyone on the same page doesn’t have to be nearly as difficult as certain people often make it. If you’re in {city} and would like to find out more information about these or other essential IT concepts, please don’t delay. Contact {company} today by phone at {phone}

Information Technology News & Information

Benefits of Using Office 365 for Business

From strong security to seamless integration and even unprecedented mobile access, Microsoft Office 365 has plenty to offer your business.   Office 365 offers some clear advantages for business, whether you need to boost your collaborative abilities, improve mobile access or only want to be sure your data stays secure. Learning about this innovative, easy to use the suite of software can help you decide if it is a good fit for your organization. If you already use Office 365, learning more about your options can ensure you make the most of this scalable, flexible business solution. Benefits of Adopting Office 365 Office 365 Offers Easy and Seamless Integration with Other Solutions The tools you already know, use and rely on for your workflow can seamlessly integrate into Office 365. The list of programs and tools that perform well with Office 365 is extensive and includes common solutions like Word, Excel, Outlook and Power Point. Office 365 makes it easy to standardize your file formats and to ensure that everyone one your team can open, access and use the pieces you create. Mobile, on the Go Access is Easy with Office 365 Mobile use is at an all-time high and your team uses smartphones, tablets and other devices to stay connected and perform tasks, even when they are not in the office. Microsoft Office 365 allows your team to open and process documents, access contacts and calendar information and send emails from any connected device. Office 365 works with both PC and Mac and with Android, iPhone and even Blackberry devices. This mobility allows you and your team to work from home, while you are traveling or from virtually anywhere you can get a connection. Whether you are heading to a trade show, calling on clients or taking a much-needed day off, you connect in an instant to get the information you need to serve customers or support your team. Office 365 Enhances Communication and Collaboration It’s easier than ever before to collaborate with your team and for your workers to share and access information. A password protected portal can be established that allows your team to quickly access the documentation or files then need – and more than one person can access and work on a piece at a time. Once work is complete, progress is tracked and noted so that anyone in the group can quickly determine what has been done and what still needs to be completed. Collaboration and communication are about more than just opening, editing and sharing documents; Office 365 also supports robust, large scale storage and sharing and even online meetings. Intuitive, Easy and Accessible Unlike some other programs or packages, Office is free of jargon and very user-friendly. It has an intuitive, easy to learn dashboard that is standardized between applications. Even those in your group that are not particularly tech savvy can get up to speed quickly and become efficient users of this flexible suite of tools. You do not need an on-site IT team to handle Office 365 issues and no one on your team needs to attend any kind of special certification to actually use this software. Security and Safety Provides Peace of Mind Microsoft has a robust and proactive security team and Office 365 receives their full attention. In many cases, the company has recognized vulnerabilities and released patches well before a publicized ransomware or malware attack. By identifying risk and possibilities for exploitation early, Microsoft has a long history of taking aggressive action to prevent you from being victimized by cybercriminals. In an ever-changing, ever-evolving landscape, regular patches and updates are a must; you’re far more likely to be victimized if you use a system that is regularly protected and up-to-date. Security is about more than updates; Office 365 features the same robust systems used by Microsoft and some of the biggest brands to protect networks, documents and even email. With built in scanning capabilities, your Office 365 suite can scan your email around the clock and alert you to any suspicious software or attempts to hack your systems. Office 365 was designed with reliability in mind and Microsoft does more than the promise they’ll be online; they offer a 99.9% uptime guarantee via a financially backed SLA (Service Level Agreement) to provide peach of mind about availability. Flexible, Scalable Solutions With a simple pay-as-you go pricing setup and plenty of flexible options, you can start small and scale at your own pace. You don’t have to pay for more than you’ll use or begin to feel restricted as you grow. For new businesses experiencing growth, this flexibility ensures cost effectiveness. Since you can scale up as needed, your team can continue to work with the tools they are familiar with as you grow, you don’t have to change to a new system or adapt to new tools. From cost efficiency and scalability to the peace of mind that comes from working with Microsoft, Office 365 has plenty to offer the enterprises of all sizes. Interested in Office 365 and want to learn exactly what it can do for you? Contact {company} at {email} or by phone at {phone}; we understand the power of this powerful suite of tools and know just how much it can help your business grow.

Information Technology News & Information

Six Ways to Keep Your Identify Secure Online

Help protect yourself from identity theft online by asking yourself these six questions. I feel safe in assuming that if you met a stranger on the street who wanted you to disclose your personal banking information, you would tell him to go take a long walk off a short pier or keep you would keep your mouth shut at least. Then why do so many otherwise intelligent business owners fall for scams online? When I speak to my clients about phishing scams and protecting their identity online, they nod their heads and assure me they would never fall for a Nigerian banking scam or open an attachment from an unknown person. Yet, every month, successful business owners contact me to ask for help reclaiming their lives after cyber criminals steal their identities. The hard truth is recovering from identity theft is a long, painful process. It is much easier and way less expensive to prevent identity crimes from occurring in the first place by protecting yourself from an identity scam. Protecting Your Identity Online Help keep your identity more secure online by asking yourself these six questions to help prevent yourself from becoming another victim of identity scammers. Are you expecting to hear from the person or business contacting you? Unless you have an ongoing relationship with the sender of an email or message, any inquiry for personal information you receive is most likely an attempt to defraud you. Even if you have business with the company supposedly contacting you, is there a legitimate reason for the business to communicate with you now? It is now common for a fraudster to choose the name of a large company like PayPal, Amazon or local utility company which most people use. So just because you are a customer of a company, doesn’t mean the email is real. If you are ever in doubt about whether a request from a company is legitimate or not, open a new web browser and visit the company’s website by typing the full domain name directly into the address bar. Never click on any links from the email which may take you to a copy of the company’s site. Does the email look professional? Carefully examine any email you receive which asks for sensitive information. Compare the questionable email to other emails which you have received in the past from the same company and know are legitimate. Look at details like the logo, the salutation, and the way the email is written. The majority of phishing scams originate outside the United States in countries where English is not the official language. Many scam emails contain multiple spelling and grammar mistakes. When an email contains language which encourages a quick response to prevent being locked out of your account or losing your benefits it is most often a red flag. Do I really know who sent you that? Online scammers are great at making their emails and social messages appear to be coming from a friend or associate you know. Manipulating the source of a message, or the header is ‘spoofing.’ Spoofing causes US businesses to lose billions of dollars in fraud. Before you respond to an unexpected message requesting by sending any form of personal information, always double check that the sender’s email matches the person or company you think sent the message. If the sender is using an email address which is different, don’t respond. The safest approach is calling and speaking with the sender by telephone to verify the legitimacy of the request. Why is the person asking for that particular information from me? Many scammers use a spoof email to ask users to confirm personal information relating to the individual’s account. Most of the time, the information these scammers ask for is something which a real business would not need to confirm a user’s identity. Banks and financial institutions never request users to confirm passwords or user names through email. A legitimate business won’t ask for you to send sensitive information over an unsecured server. Is the payment page secure? The majority of purchases in the US are made online. But before you input your credit card information, you need to make sure you are not about to send your credit card information to a scammer. Help keep your bank account safe by always checking that the payment page is secure and authentic. Never access a payment page directly from an off-site link. It is common for a cyber criminal to send a spoof email which contains an embedded link to a special offer. But when you click on the link, it redirects you to a copy of the site designed by the scammer to steal your credit card information. Never pay on a page which doesn’t have a “https://” before the domain name and look for an icon of a padlock in the address bar. If you are unsure about the security of a site’s payment page, don’t make a purchase. Am I revealing too much personal information on social media? A profile on a social media service like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter is a treasure trove for identity thieves. Many users of these social media services do not understand just how much of the information they publicly share can help scammers to gain access to their accounts. Avoid sharing sensitive information such as birth dates, anniversary dates, names of children, pets, friends, and spouses. Don’t post pictures scammers can use to create fake accounts. Never reveal your home or work address. Always use the highest level of privacy available from a social media service and never accept strangers as friends. Regrettably, it is impossible to guarantee you will never be a victim of online identity theft, but when you remember to ask yourself these questions, you will lower the chances you will.