It’s never easy to terminate an employee. The skill of firing with flair is a sensitive but necessary process that everyone should learn!

It happens to the best of us. We post an advertisement for an available position on job boards across the Internet. We scour through the thousands (and thousands) of submitted resumes. We painstakingly choose the best candidates (on paper) to bring in for an interview, and we try to pose the questions that should result in the most thought-provoking and inspired responses, giving us the deepest insight into their soul – in about 30 minutes or less. We thank each interviewee dutifully for their time, wonder if we’ll get the perfunctory thank-you note or if their manners will go remiss, and try to decide who makes the cut and gets the job offer. Fast forward to the day we discover the candidate doesn’t stack up to the promises made during the hiring and onboarding process – and it’s time for the HR team to tactfully terminate.

We’ve all been there. The goal is always to build a team that is dedicated, loyal, and earnest – but too many times we encounter flaws with one of these characteristics, and the relationship is no longer, as the saying goes, mutually beneficial. Is your termination process thorough? What steps do you need to take to protect yourself and your business from retaliation in preparation before a potentially hostile departure? Read on to cover all your bases, but leave the exit details to the HR team.

First Things First

Once you have a full grasp of the outstanding projects and deadlines that still need to be met, you can move on to the most pressing matters.

Access: All login credentials

• For global enterprises, there are large IT teams that oversee just logins and passwords alone – but since you’re reading this, you don’t work for IBM or Apple with a department of staff dedicated solely to current credential maintenance.
  • Network
    • Most organizations require a username and password to access anything related to the organization itself: email, file storage, etc. and this is the first of many credentials that should be addressed to ensure swift and secure measures to protect the company after a termination.
  • Email
    • First, change the password. The terminated party likely has their work email on their smartphone and thus can access their email immediately upon departure from the office. This offers the chance for damage or sabotage, such as deleting emails from their inbox or sending damaging emails to contacts.
    • Maintain the email account by having another party monitor incoming messages. Consider setting up an auto-reply feature to notify senders to the recipient that further communications should be directed to another email address for attention in the future.
    • One task that tends to be overlooked in the immediacy of a departure is the removal of the terminated party from internal distribution lists and notifications.
    • Lastly, if the individual has suspected termination was imminent, they may have deleted emails before the action taking place. There is a brief window when email recovery is still possible, but the standard time frame is 30 days.
  • VPN or remote access
    • If your company allows remote network access, likely through a Virtual Private Network (VPN) or a service like LogMeIn, a team member likely only needs to have this access set up one time and store their login and password at the remote point of access. The simplest way to prevent future access with this is by changing the affected password. If a platform like LogMeIn is the primary connection method, the administrator will need to be the one to change the user’s access settings.
  • Intranet
    • Typically, an organization uses an Intranet portal to store internal communications or Human Resources information like health insurance details, company directories, staff handbooks, forms and processes, office calendars and holiday schedules, and any other pertinent documentation related to operations. Access removal or password change to a network will often serve to prevent further access to this area, but a quick verification of settings here is still wise.
  • Cloud Storage
    • To prevent anyone from accessing files after termination, and for similar reasons as above – sabotage or deletion – change any access passwords for this portal. It’s very likely that proprietary information on projects, clients, or other sensitive information is stored here.
    • If termination is pending for an individual, it’s wise to preemptively make a back-up of these files and store them elsewhere for later access.
    • If your company uses cloud providers like Dropbox for Business, Microsoft OneNote or SharePoint, your administrator will need to lock the account for security, likely by resetting the password.
  • Data Recovery
    • Files
      • If after the termination and departure is complete you notice files are missing and suspect deletion, time is critical for data recovery.

What else can you do?

Aside from the items listed above, any organization should take every precaution possible to protect themselves in any situation. At some point, a termination is inevitable, and proper handling of the process can be what defines the outcome.

• Enact security protocols that limit or prevent the use of external devices like hard drives or thumb drives.
• Prevent team members from removing any proprietary data from the premises. This is almost impossible in the case of a distributed workforce, but you can require all files to be stored in a central repository to minimize risk.
• It’s worth taking the time to review the terminated party’s outgoing email in “Sent Items” to verify if any messages were forwarded to a personal email address.
• It’s always challenging to decide if a note to other team members is a good idea, alerting staff to the departure of an individual. Privacy policies typically protect the terminated party, and a perfunctory statement of “Sally Smith is no longer with the company as of April 1, 2018. We wish her well in future endeavors. Any questions, concerns, or communications may be directed to her supervisor, Billy Boss, moving forward” or something very similar, so long as it’s kept generic.

Handling a termination is never easy. The most important aspect of any termination is to protect the company – it sounds harsh, but it’s a fact. Preventing someone who is being fired from stealing information and using it to damage a company or sabotage a brand or person is a challenging task.

With the proper processes in place, anyone can minimize the risk to the company, ensuring survival after saying sayonara!

First, there was Siri, then Cortana, and then Alexa. Each virtual assistant comes equipped with a rich package of features and capabilities, but who is the best in the business?

Every April, organizations big and small all over celebrate Administrative Assistants Day as a show of gratitude for the staff that carries out the day-to-day administrative operations. These are the individuals that make sure communications reach the proper contacts, that calendars are maintained, and appointments are kept. Good administrative assistants are indispensable to an enterprise, and truly deserve recognition more than one day each year.

The job of an administrative assistant — or any assistant — is to support the position they assist; Sounds simple enough, right? Wrong. Typing, faxing, emailing, answering calls, scheduling appointments, and all duties that fall under this umbrella require great organization and attention to detail. Duties don’t always stay within the 8-5 workday, and responsiveness is key.

When the Palm Pilot launched as one of the earlier electronic mobile devices for mobile communication with features for schedules and task organization, followed by BlackBerry models, and then the iPod Touch among many others, artificial intelligence emerged as an economical option and valuable tool for consumers. These devices at the time were just an extension of administrative assistants, though.

Enter the virtual assistant. Artificial intelligence (AI) has truly enabled technology to support human activity. From machines helping build machines — think automobile manufacturing lines – to machines helping people fix people — think 3D printers creating a replica of a heart or other organ to assist surgeons in planning an operation – the common thread is that artificial intelligence enables us to improve the world through the use of machines. Do you wear a Fitbit or another activity tracker? From counting your steps to telling time to monitor your heart rate to tracking your exercise route with built-in GPS capabilities, the little machine on your wrist is pretty incredible. Virtual assistants offer support on a basic level, but with more sophisticated capabilities, like voice-enabled operations and support.

Apple launched Siri, the built-in intelligent personal assistant, in 2011. Siri was designed to answer questions and perform basic actions using Apple apps on the iPhone. Apple worked with voice actors from British, Australian and American backgrounds to offer support in native “accents” given the global use of Apple products.

Both Amazon’s Alexa and Microsoft’s Cortana followed in 2014, bolstering an AI competition that is most beneficial to the consumer. A common misperception is that Amazon’s Alexa is tethered to devices used only in a home, enabling home automation services. Alexa is designed to work with several Acer, Lenovo, and HP desktop and laptop computers as well as the Fire tablet line-up and a handful of mobile devices – though none carry the mobile market presence as the iPhone.

• For decades, roles in the administrative assistant capacity were relegated to females – perhaps this is why the default voice in the virtual assistant market is female?

Each of the virtual assistants offers an assortment of the same type of features: set alarms, provide weather reports, sports scores, Internet search results, and other real-time options like news, driving directions, and traffic alerts. But with so many AI virtual assistants on the market and consumers have more options, which brings the most bang for the buck? Which offers the most robust features? Which has the coolest capabilities? We break down the “Big Three” and let you decide.

Siri

Siri was the first and is thereby the model for all others that come after. Siri was the first voice-activated, voice-controlled virtual assistant, and dominated the market for three years before her first true competitor came along. With a quick “Hey, Siri!”, she was eager and waiting to help you out! Siri’s user interface was pretty basic initially, but considering the innovative concept of a responsive virtual assistant in your pocket, consumers were happy with basic. Siri has evolved into a much more robust and astute virtual assistant, though she still prefers to look things up on the Internet and just give you her search results. This is reported because of Apple’s dedication to user privacy, and a commitment to not collecting data from browser history or emails – like Google does – for Internet search results.

Siri’s lack of integration with non-native apps is rather frustrating. Some partner apps will offer more complex functionality, but with most apps, users are limited to basic “open” commands and exclude secondary commands – think “open Facebook and create new status update” or something along those lines. It’s not rocket science, but it’s not something Siri can help you with – yet.

Cortana

Cortana had a built-in cult following even before she was a reality! “Cortana” was the code name for the AI virtual assistant project from Microsoft, but once leaked Cortana was a wildly popular name in user forums and users initiated a petition to Microsoft to keep the name upon release – and we now know how that turned out! The code name was a reference to a synthetic intelligence character in Microsoft’s Halo video game, and the same voice actress lent her voice to the virtual assistant.

One area Cortana has others beat is language support. Rather than just English, Cortana also supports Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese.

The downside of Cortana? Depending on your browser preference, Cortana may offer limitation in this aspect, only offering Internet search results in Bing (not Google). But Bing offers users rewards based on search activity volume, so perhaps this default is beneficial. Side by side, Bing and Google search results can differ, which is why we consider this a ‘downside’. An interesting note for Cortana, too, is that it offers a built-in music recognition capability. Could Cortana have plans to take on fan-favorite music discovery app Shazam? In case you weren’t paying attention, Shazam was recently acquired by Apple (iTunes springboard, anyone?).

• Microsoft, lover of all things collaborative and integration, has plans for integrating Cortana into Skype, and we can’t wait to see how that pans out.

Alexa

Amazon’s Alexa is the exception to the rule in more than one way. Unique to the virtual assistant market, Alexa is standard on Amazon Echo devices – which are not smartphones but rather designed to primarily support home automation. This is rather genius in that Alexa supports orders and shopping through a user’s Amazon account with stored payment and shipping details, conveniently offering a built-in way for Amazon to monetize their virtual assistant.

Alexa is an audio-only voice-activated AI virtual assistant. She has to read all results out loud to you – but more importantly, interact directly with you. She is the foundation of a smart home rather than confined to a smartphone.

Alexa is also designed to work with third-party apps. Want to play a Spotify playlist? Alexa’s got you covered. Need a ride? Alexa can now order you an Uber. Alexa can help you order dinner due to integration with Pizza Hut and Domino’s, among others. Can Siri or Cortana do that? They can help you track down the phone number or website, but that’s the extent of their help. Alexa will also get you in (quick) shape — body or mind — with a daily 7-minute workout and a Jeopardy game.

• Amazon wants Alexa to be essential to your home environment. Many households are already Amazon Prime members, relishing unlimited two-day shipping for a meager $99/year. This packages nicely with the Amazon Echo product line-up, each designed to work seamlessly with each other and integrate with your Amazon account while supporting home automation. Consumers notice weekly emails from Amazon with helpful tips on “what Alexa can do for you” details.

What’s the verdict?

Alexa is nice in your home or office, but for the power of the virtual assistant in your pocket and on the go, Siri was the first and is still the best! Setting up a to-do list, scheduling meetings and reminders, sending emails – it’s all pretty crucial for day-to-day mobile operations, and “mobile” is the keyword. Amazon is expanding what Alexa can do, but for now, it’s still second to Siri.

What will the rest of 2018 hold for the AI virtual assistant future? We can’t wait to see!

Integrate and Collaborate Seamlessly Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams has become the go-to chat-based workspace in Office 365. It’s more than just a hub for teamwork. It’s even customizable for each type of team.

Microsoft Teams is perfect for one-on-one conversations, open group discussions or even public meetings. It has many modern features that make meetings more fun and productive. For instance, there are cool GIFs, stickers, and emojis available so team members can show a little personality. The program integrates well with Outlook email and it’s easy to switch between teams. Add to that the ability to use video calling on Android that includes mobile voice and you’ve got an excellent business resource.

The Microsoft Teams app provides users with all the tools necessary to facilitate meetings for corporate America as well as freelancers and even educational institutions. With so many people now taking online classes, the Teams app can give a tutor and student the perfect place to discuss Algebra or learn a new language. The app is fairly intuitive and most users pick up all the fine points of how to use it very quickly.

How Microsoft Teams Sets Itself Apart

With so many meeting apps available now, organizations want to know why Microsoft Teams is better. That’s a good question and it does have a good answer: because this app is included in Office 365, it seamlessly integrates with all the programs that today’s business professionals are already using. Within the Teams app, users can access all files and any Office programs such as PowerPoint, Excel, Word and OneNote. In addition, the app features integration with Power Bl, SharePoint and Planner Intelligence using Microsoft Graph.

Though you can open these files using other meeting apps, they are seamlessly integrated into the Microsoft Teams app, limiting the additional steps that users must perform. Many of the exciting features are available with just a single tap. Regardless of what type of business you’re in, the Microsoft Team’s app can be customized to work the way you need it to. That’s one of the big reasons why people in so many different industries choose Team. The app works just as well for a few people or a dozen. It works nicely for business pros, teachers and students. The app is easy to set up and takes very little instruction to get started. With custom memes and tailored channels, most people quickly become expert Teams users.

Beyond the Basics

After using Microsoft Teams for a while, most people start looking around at some of the more advanced features, of which there are many. Do you need to integrate some common cloud services into your meeting? It’s a simple process.

Partner integration is available for Trello and SAP but Microsoft will be adding new partners in the future. The individual channels contain Bots that can be working in the background on important tasks. In addition to those great features, the Teams App is served from the Microsoft global hyperscale cloud. That makes it available from anywhere in the world, so if you need to meet with people in Japan, in Taiwan, someone in Quebec and a group in India, it’s a simple matter to do so. Team players can share their documents, show a PowerPoint, go over an Excel spreadsheet and work on many other tasks like these. There are virtually a limitless number of tasks that can be done and without the help of an IT specialist.

Ideal for the Medical Field

Since the Teams app is compliant with HIPAA, ISO27001, and others, it’s perfect for use in a medical facility of any type or size. However, the app could also work well in telemedicine. Though live face-to-face meeting software is included in most programs for the telemedicine industry, Teams could be used in numerous instances. Say you were on the go and needed to use the app from your mobile phone. It’s not only quick and easy but remember that it is compliant with most HIPAA guidelines. Talk to a colleague or patient. Sometimes you just need a quick face-to-face with someone and that’s it.

Excellent Built-In Security

The Teams app is big on security as well. With so many thousands of cyber-theft events taking place each year around the world, you just can’t be too careful. Sometimes a team might be talking about their favorite flavor of ice cream and sometimes they might be discussing a new hyperdrive for America’s next rocket ship. Multi-factor authentication and built-in data protection are just two ways Microsoft ensures that your meeting will remain confidential.

Use Teams to Enhance Customer Service

Though this is being done in some organizations, in the future there may be a great number of businesses that contact their customers using apps like Teams, to let customers know about some problem with an order. Perhaps you just sold hardwood flooring to a residential customer for their whole house but now you’ve learned that the flooring is back-ordered for six months. Wouldn’t it be better to speak to this customer face-to-face when you break the news to them? Customers may be less upset when they realize that the store cared enough to have a manager call them and speak to them in person about the problem. That’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to retail sales.

In the sales world, it’s very common to have angry customers whose brand-new refrigerator/stove/television/computer just stopped working. Mitigating customer problems is a great way to use Microsoft Teams.

Working Together

Microsoft Teams encourages people to work together. You can bring up the new budget from Excel and let everyone go over it, make comments, and suggest changes. You can open the new marketing plan in Word so that a whole room full of execs hear about the latest marketing campaign. They need to become familiar enough with it to pass on the information to employees in their department. Since most people have Office 365 already on their computer, there’s nothing new to install.

How to Set Up a Team

Simply go to the Office interface and click on the Teams App. At the bottom left corner of the screen, select “Create Team”, then type a name and short description. Next, add people to your new team. Using Microsoft Outlook, you can add an entire group. Now click “Done” and create a general channel. Other channels may be added later as needed. Name and describe this channel, click “Add” and it’s all set up. Within just a few minutes you can have a specific meeting place set up where you can meet each week with co-workers, students, your doctor, unhappy customers and much more.

Miscellaneous Features

Adding and removing team members is simple and only takes a few moments. A tutor who is working with five different students throughout the day could easily change the student’s name quickly in between each lesson. You might start with a private chat, just between the teacher and student. However, what if you wanted to add a second teacher or several more students? It’s easy to do that. Just list the name(s) of the people you want to attend, then compose a new message in Outlook to invite them to attend. While in a chat, you can make a video or audio call by selecting the icon for it. Chats can be renamed, which is good for those that get transferred to a different department. You can continue using the same chat room; just add or remove people as needed.

Microsoft Team has so many more features that make life and work much simpler. It is quickly becoming the favorite virtual chat room for business people in every industry. If you’re still feeling you need some help with setting up a chat room, Microsoft offers a great range of informative YouTube videos with step-by-step instructions for how to do just about anything.

Stop Struggling – Try Microsoft’s Team Planner

Microsoft’s latest and greatest app is called Team Planner. It’s an amazing tool that lets people organize any task. Of course, it was developed with corporate America in mind, but this type of app would be great for planning anything from a birthday party to a wedding. The app has been well-received and is now being used around the world in every type of business or enterprise.

Designed for Projects of Any Size

For those who work with teams every day, it’s clear why this type of app has been so successful. Any company or department that has worked on a big project understands the frustrations. There’s just no easy way to manage a big project with lots of players involved. How do you assign people to specific tasks? How do you upload documents so everyone has access? How can you find out each person’s current status?

In the past, programs developed to streamline project management have been large, unwieldy conglomerations that most team members could hardly understand. Each task was so cumbersome it was often easier to just work without project management software. This is where Microsoft really excels, because their developers have been down this road before. They know the pitfalls and drawbacks. With each generation of software, they’ve gradually eliminated time-consuming obstacles. They’ve fine-tuned the app, sanding off its rough edges and now what’s left is a really intuitive solution that works well for both corporate America and individuals.

How to Begin

Begin by Opening MS Office 365. There you’ll see all the apps available. Planner should be shown as one of the tiles on the page. Click on the interface and Team Planner will open to the Dashboard. You can also launch the app from the “app launcher” icon in the upper left-hand corner. At the dashboard page, you can view all ongoing projects. This is also where you create a new project.

Let’s say you want to create a project for your company’s new marketing video. Just click on the “Plus” sign. Next, you’ll fill in project details including a name and description of the project. As you create tasks, go ahead and assign each one to a member of your team. You can include as much or as little information as you need to. The app also has a chat feature that allows team members to connect. Workers find it helpful to have a built-in chat feature. As they discuss the project, both parties can see the plan’s progress and find out what each member is working on.

Planner uses a handy tool called “Buckets” and you can give descriptive names to your buckets. Place all related tasks in one bucket. This prevents you from having to search around for specific things. Click on My Tasks for a comprehensive list of your own projects. It’s easy to see where you are and what you need to do next.

Email Notifications

As the project leader assigns new tasks to team members, an email notification is sent to each one. This ensures that everyone knows what they’ve been assigned to do. From now on, there’s no confusion about who should be working on what. These types of snags can prevent a project from moving forward the way the boss expects it to – those days are over with Team Planner.

Transparency in Every Task and Project

Ever worked on a big project and not known its status or who was working on what? That’s happened to all of us at some time. With the Team Planner Dashboard, you can quickly see who has been assigned to what task. You can also view any attachments, images, videos or other task-related information.

As each person completes a task, they mark it done. That makes it easy for the team leader and others to check the project’s progress. No more playing phone tag with the PM and team members for progress updates.

Organize Your Work Visually

For those people who work better when tasks are more visual, Team Planner is a good solution. Each project has a board that allows you to easily organize tasks, placing them in buckets. It’s easy to view the project’s current stage. If someone has to drop out of the project, just drag and drop to assign it to someone else. Teams work together in unison. Anyone can update or change the status of an assignment. With Team Planner, project collaboration is a breeze.

Best Features

Built for Office 365, Team Planner lets you attach files to tasks, work together on those files, and even have conversations around tasks without switching between apps. With this app, all discussions and deliverables stay with the plan. That way, nothing can fall through the cracks. Want to know what you should be working on next? Click on My Tasks for a comprehensive list of your own projects. It’s easy to see where you are and what you need to do next.

Microsoft Flow

Microsoft Flow is a SaaS cloud service that makes it easy to get all your favorite apps to communicate with each other. It works with Microsoft programs like Outlook and OneNote, but also includes over 100 other programs that people use daily and find handy. Automate time-consuming tasks, such as emails. Set up a flow that notifies you with a text message when you receive an important email from a client. Emailing your customer using Outlook with project updates. Manage approvals all in one place. With just the tap of a button, you can set up and accomplish many tasks that once took days to complete.

Conclusion

No matter what type of work you do, great teamwork is the key to success. That’s one of the reasons why Microsoft developed its new app, “Team Planner.” With this program, it’s so much easier for teams to create plans, assign tasks, share files and get organized. That’s the key to any project succeeding. All team members must be working together toward a final goal. When everyone has a clear idea of what the project is all about and what should be completed next, your project will get completed on-time and on budget.

How often do you buy a new laptop, tablet or mobile phone? Does it seem like there’s an internal alarm clock that predicts the time of your next purchase? We can help you hit the “snooze” button and save more money.

Apple made news recently with an admission of its practice to release updates that would slow performance of older phones as a byproduct, indirectly increasing frustration and thereby prompting consumers to “need” to upgrade their phone. It’s been a long-running joke that, with two-year contracts with mobile service providers, consumers could count on increased frustrations near the 18-month mark to build anticipation for the next smartphone iteration.

The manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of consumer goods relies on the basic elements of supply and demand. While consumers maintain the mentality of “upgrade every two years”, manufacturers released new products on a set timetable, and subsidized costs helped to feed our appetite for the newest, fastest tech with the coolest features. Who doesn’t love a built-in schedule feeding supply and demand? Desktop computing systems experience the effect, as well, though the phenomenon doesn’t receive the same coverage, perhaps because these systems have been around for longer than mobile devices and consumers have just come to accept the situation.

Now that the days of service contracts and subsidized phone costs are over, consumers hold more control over their technology – and their wallets.  With the barrier to entry centering on higher costs — that are no longer subsidized — consumers are looking for ways to make all types of tech last longer. This is especially helpful given that the cost of tablets, most notably the iPad, continues to inch higher as our dependency on mobile technology increases. How can we make our smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktop tech last longer and run more smoothly?

Desktops and Laptops

Review your system using these guidelines as a checklist, and see how some light housekeeping may help:

• Is your system freezing or crashing more often?
  • Crashes and freezing can be a reminder to reboot, allow your applications to restart and reset, clear your memory cache and cookies, and just give your machine the chance to let go of anything it’s been unnecessarily holding onto in temporary files.
  • These can also be a sign of something more serious, and it may be a good idea to run an antivirus program, like Avast, to make sure you’re not a victim of malware, viruses, or ransomware attacks.
• Is your storage nearly full?
  • When a hard drive fills over 75% capacity, the effect on a system is an overall slow-down. Consider moving to a free cloud-based storage solution, like Dropbox or Google Drive. If you’re an Amazon Prime user, take advantage of your benefit of unlimited photo storage that also offers you the ability to organize photos into albums that you can share with friends and family with just a click.
• When was the last time you checked for and installed system updates?
  • Outdated operating systems can significantly decrease a system’s performance. Check for updates and install them, since these almost always contain updates that improve performance and maintain security.
• Is your computer clean?
  • We don’t mean viruses here – we mean “clean”. Dust and particles can get down into crevices and gunk up innards. This can impede airflow, causing a system to overheat, and make your system work harder than it needs to operate effectively. A can of compressed air can do wonders with hidden dust particles in the tiniest of spaces.

Smartphones and Devices

Much like with any computer, smartphones and tablets need routine maintenance to perform at their best. Sluggish and slow speeds hinder your ability to get things done. Never is the phrase “time is money” truer than when trying to send an email or make a call, in attempt to conduct business and finalize a transaction.

Keep your mobile devices operating at their peak efficiency by regularly checking through the following areas:

• Photo storage
  • Ever wondered why smartphones still offer the option of the shutter sound when taking pictures? The sound is both nostalgic and satisfying. We take photos of moments to help us remember – but we take more photos now compared to the days of film.
  • Our digital memories are eating up our digital storage. Cloud storage is an easy solution, but few take advantage of the opportunity. As we mentioned earlier, Amazon Prime users can take advantage of free unlimited photo storage and create shareable albums. This is a safer option than Facebook, given it’s a service you pay for, and you retain control of the account!
• Email Inbox(es)
  • A single email message has an almost undetectable impact on your phone’s operation, but how many emails do you get in one day? A hundred? More likely a few thousand messages or more come to you throughout the average work week, and that fills space quickly in your device’s memory. De-clutter your inbox, and start seeing a difference.
• How many applications do you have installed that you don’t use?
  • Applications can take up a lot of memory space. You can see which applications have the greatest impact on your phone’s settings, and eliminate applications that you haven’t used. Regain screen real estate, too!
• How many applications are running?
  • Not only can applications take up space, but they can also drain your battery faster. Over time, this can wear down your battery which means it will just drain faster and faster, regardless of how many applications are running at any one time.
• Internet windows
  • Much like on a desktop where you may have more than a dozen tabs open and running in a single Internet browser session, your phone will open a new window as many times as you like. Again, much like with your desktop browser that stores cookies and browser history that takes up RAM, your phone keeps this data stored, as well, slowing down operations.
• When in doubt, restart
  • The occasional restart can act as a “reset” for your phone, and you may see an improvement in performance after rebooting.
• Are there updates available?
  • Whether for an application or your operating system, there are reasons that updates are made available to consumers. Updates are intended to improve the overall operation of your mobile device, and it’s recommended that you keep your phone’s operating system and applications up to date.
• Is your device clean?
  • Keep your screen wiped, your speakers clear of debris, and your camera lens and charging port clean. Dust and grime can creep into the tiniest of crevices and build up, affecting the interior workings of your phone.

Keeping your technology operating efficiently takes effort on your part, but the return on your time investment will extend their lifespan and decrease the long-term maintenance costs you would need to spend otherwise. Following these basic preventive maintenance tips will make your tech last longer and save you time – and money.

There are plenty of options when it comes to finding a Managed IT Services provider for your business – how can you tell which is the right choice for you?

These days, business owners are searching for every advantage to put their company on top. With so much competition out there, just a few small issues here and there can result in costly slow-downs to daily work. One of these resides in your IT department. Nothing is more frustrating than broken computers, slow internet service, and expensive service calls.

Things like this can ruin your week and take a huge chunk out of the budget. Though there’s no way to stop computer and network problems from happening, there are ways to minimize your exposure. For small and mid-sized businesses, the solution is Managed IT Services. With Managed IT Services, you can forget about setting up an expensive Server Room and hiring a bunch of highly trained IT people. You’ll probably only need a handful of IT people on staff to handle simple issues that crop up in day-to-day business.

The problem comes with the fact that there are so many IT service providers these days and so it can be difficult to find the one that works best for your company. To help, check out these five timely tips to help you find the right IT service provider so you can get back to the job of running your company.

Tip One: The Budget

Although having the best IT support for your company is important, sometimes managed service providers are keen on trying to sell you expensive services that you really don’t need. To avoid this scenario, sit down with your on-staff IT people and talk about exactly what services your company needs to stay up and running. Speak to your accountant and make sure about the monthly amount that will fit comfortably into your budget. All companies are nervous about data breaches these days; they can be expensive and stressful. However, don’t let that push you to buy over-priced services that you really can’t afford and don’t need. For some companies, hiring a consultant to advise you is a good solution.

Tip Two: Understand Your Contract

Too many business owners get locked into long-term contracts that they can’t afford. Make sure you understand exactly what your contract includes. How often can you call for service? Some companies allow unlimited service calls for just a few extra dollars per month. This can be a good way to go if your computer equipment is getting old and might break down more often than new equipment. Another issue is whether the contract includes regular updates to software and hardware.

One of the biggest issues that companies face is the evolution of technology. Every year, technological capabilities develop at phenomenal rates; it’s hard to keep up. There are new devices, gadgets and social media sites that demand faster computers and networks. Managed IT Services should keep you up to date with the latest advances in business technology.

Tip Three: Stay Proactive

The whole point of Managed IT Services is that you have someone else to handle network and computer problems. As with all service providers, some are just better at their jobs than others. Make sure your Managed IT Services provider believes in staying proactive. Avoid providers who only come out when there’s a problem. You need a company that will stay on top of all the latest threats. One data breach could drive you into bankruptcy, so it’s important for your IT support provider to make sure your computers are ready for whatever may come.

Often, you can find out about things like this by reading online reviews of the company. Have they had any complaints filed against them? How long have they been in business? Don’t let a fast-talking salesman sell you on a company with two employees that just opened its doors. Find someone that has a great reputation and has been in business for years. You want to work with providers who will stand behind their services and won’t stop until you’re satisfied.

Tip Four: Is it Scalable?

Hopefully, your business is growing. What will happen if you need to add five new computers? IT services should grow as your company grows. You don’t need to understand all the intricacies of cost optimization, cloud services, and scalability, but you should know what it will cost in terms of money and time when your company begins to grow. Ask intelligent questions about colocation and virtual infrastructures.

Many business owners are not well versed on these topics but your company’s IT professionals should be. You need IT people you can count on; not people who try to dazzle you with big words. Your on-staff IT team should be working proactively each day to ensure ongoing network services and a sound infrastructure. Hire the best people you can afford and expect them to do their jobs.

Tip Five: Ask the Right Questions

In the world of Information Technology, there’s quite a bit that the average business owner doesn’t know about. For instance, will the Managed IT Services provider perform regular security updates and patch management? These are both crucial to preventing cyber breaches. Will they perform network monitoring and send alerts when something looks out of order?

A new service provider should begin your professional relationship by performing a vulnerability and risk assessment. This will tell you whether your software and hardware are up to par. Is your equipment set up to handle the massive number of new cyber threats that are hurled at businesses each year?

How many times have you waited all day for a service provider to show up? This is stressful and costly for any business owner. Ask if the IT provider has a guaranteed response time. It can also be very helpful to have 24/7 Helpdesk support. Be sure this is included in your contract.

Many managed IT providers also offer additional services that can be very helpful, such as consulting and project management – make sure you ask about these services, and whether they come with an extra charge. The more you know, the better.

Other Considerations

Your company may not be at a place right now in terms of growth, where you can sustain an expensive long-term Managed IT Services provider. If this is true, look around for no contract, pay-as-you-go providers. Many IT pros offer this as an option but they may not say so right up front, so be sure to ask about it.

Look for companies that offer flexible plans for small businesses. Everyone has been in the position of just starting out and needing to save money wherever possible. Companies sometimes have slumps in sales. You have to plan for every contingency. While you do need the most reliable IT services available, they should be professionals who are willing to work with you. Businesses that succeed often have skilled partners who have their back and that’s not too much to ask of your Managed IT Services provider.

Don’t settle when it comes to your Managed IT Services provider – put the time and effort into finding the right one for your business needs, and you’ll soon see the positive effect it can have on you and your staff’s daily work.

Ransomware has quickly become one of the biggest cyber threats to businesses today, especially given the recent Wanna Cry epidemic that infected hundreds of thousands of IT systems in more 150 countries. This kind of malware presents serious data integrity and financial concerns for affected businesses. It works by tricking a user into opening an executable file (either as an email attachment or downloaded from a webpage linked in an email) which then encrypts the victim’s files and holds them for ransom.

A majority of cybersecurity services offered today include the best in vital technologies, from firewalls to anti-malware to data encryption and more. However, as important as this technology is, on its own, it simply isn’t enough to protect against threats like ransomware. The key to truly comprehensive cybersecurity is simple, yet often overlooked: the user.

Cybersecurity company Malwarebytes has found that as many as one-third of businesses like yours were hit by ransomware within the last year – the key to all these incidents? The “human factor”. Included in Malwarebytes’ Second Annual State of Ransomware Report, data showed that, of the 32% of organizations that were hit by malware, 20% had to immediately halt their operations.

It gets worse – further statistics showed that:

• 25% of businesses were hit with more than 20 ransomware attacks in 2016
• 31% of affected businesses in Australia did not know they were hit by ransomware, as compared to 9% in the US
• 46% of Australian victimized businesses paid the ransom, and after paying, 40% still lost their files.

Cybersecurity gimmicks — such as “set it and forget it” firewalls and antivirus software — fail to account for how important the user is. Even the most effective digital security measures can be negated by simple human error, which is why conventional solutions are simply not enough to ensure your business’ safety. Much of cybersecurity is dependent on the user, and as such it’s vital that you properly educate your employees in safe conduct. The more your workforce knows about the security measures you have in place, the more confidently they can use the technology in a secure manner.

“People [behind the ransomware attacks] are going to more of the human factor now,” said Malwarebytes Senior Systems Engineer Brett Callaughan to CNET. “A lot more attackers are becoming aware of the fact that they can make small amounts of money on a grand scale very quickly if they completely automate this. The attackers we’re seeing are extremely sophisticated — they’re not fussed about creating a file and making something look real. They’ll just go after the user and they’ll spray and pray. If you hit 100,000 email accounts and 10,000 hit the button and you’re charging $200 a piece? That’s a significant amount of income right there from doing very little.”

So what can you do? First of all, ensure your employees are comprehensively trained in cybercrime awareness and prevention so that they can help keep your business safe. Training should include:

• How to identify and address suspicious emails, phishing attempts, social engineering tactics, and more.
• How to use business technology without exposing data and other assets to external threats by accident.
• How to respond when you suspect that an attack is occurring or has occurred.
• Further vital information that your staff needs to maintain a secure business.

That said, employee awareness will only do so much. Remember that ransomware is likely today’s biggest threat to cybersecurity, which means anything less than a comprehensive defense won’t be enough. You hear about it everywhere, along with a range of possible solutions, most of which are defensive – ways to keep the intruders out before they encrypt your files and send you the ransom note.

Both industry leaders and cybercrime law enforcement members agree that the best defense against ransomware, other types of malware and similar cybersecurity threats is a robust data backup contingency. Have you invested in one for your business?

When developing your ransomware defense, keep these recommendations in mind:

• Make a considerable investment in a comprehensive backup data recovery solution so that you can restore your data at a moment’s notice when necessary.
• Test your backup and cybersecurity measures thoroughly and regularly; create dummy files and then delete them to see how fast they can be restored, or schedule a day to literally unplug your critical systems to find out how long it takes to get online again.
• Be sure to make the most of the available resources (both provided online and through expert IT consultants) to ensure that you’re not overlooking vulnerabilities in your IT security methodology.

The good news is that you don’t have to do all this on your own. Partner with an experienced, expert provider of security support and solutions like {company} today to ensure you’re comprehensively protected from ransomware on all fronts.

For more information about how to train your employees to protect your business against ransomware, get in touch with {company} right away at {phone} or {email}.

If communication is the key to personal and career success, then we should be doing everything in our power to ensure our communication lines are well established, extremely efficient, and thoroughly secure. Migrating to Office 365 might be what your business needs to get the most out of your email server.

Why migrate to Office 365?

Office 365 provides you with some new, much-needed features like:

• Microsoft Lync Online with real-time collaboration and communication.
• SharePoint Online that offers world-class collaboration and an easy-to-use information sharing platform.
• Microsoft Office Professional Plus with the most popular client tools on the planet such as Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote. This ensures that you always have the latest versions of these apps at your fingertips, whether it be while working on your desktop, or on a tablet at home.
• Microsoft Exchange Online and an improved experience with mainstream e-mail and messaging.

What are my migration options?

Microsoft offers three main bulk migration options for Office 365: Cutover, Staged, and Hybrid:

• Cutover Migration works best for businesses with 2,000 mailboxes and under. With this option, you can’t keep mailboxes on-premises, only in the cloud.
• Staged Migration works best for Exchange 2007 and 2003 but requires a directory. Staged Migration can keep mailboxes on-premises as well as in the cloud, and there’s no limit to the number of mailboxes that you can move.
• Hybrid Migration works best with Exchange 2010, 2013, and 2016, and like Staged Migration, it also requires a directory. Not only can Hybrid keep mailboxes on-premises as well as in the cloud, it also provides seamless functionality across environments.

What if these options don’t quite fit my needs?

If these options don’t fit your needs, there are also three less common options. The IMAP option works best with Exchange 2000, but it won’t move calendar items or tasks. If you prefer a more hands-off approach, or if your business is simply too large for the other options, you can have Microsoft Office import items for you. This is an excellent option if you have more than 10TB of data. Or, if you prefer, you can use third-party applications like Lotus Notes, or Novell GroupWise to migrate your mail and data, but this option doesn’t allow mailboxes to be stored on-premises, only in the cloud.

How to Prepare for Migration

After you’ve selected the option that meets your migration needs, you should begin preparing for your migration to Office 365. Microsoft recommends that you use the email migration service Outlook Anywhere (also known as RPC over HTTP), to connect to your on-premises Exchange Server. This allows you and your staff to use Outlook as you normally do without the need for special connections such as hardware, smart cards, or security tokens. Once you enable Outlook Anywhere, verify that you can connect to it outside your corporate network. Then configure Outlook Anywhere on your on-premise Exchange Server. This allows you and your staff to use Outlook as you normally would, without the need for special connections such as hardware, smart cards, or security tokens. Once you have it configured or enabled, you will want to verify that you can connect to it outside your corporate network.

Next, you should set permissions on your account so that after migration you can connect it to your new Office 365 email system. Remember that the admin must be assigned “Full Access permission” or “Receive As” permission to modify the Target Address. Also, be sure to turn off the unified messaging until after the migration is complete.

To begin the migration, you will want to verify your domain address in Office 365. Use directory synchronization to create users in your new Office 365. Next, create a list of mailboxes that you want to migrate and create a migration endpoint that’s connected to the on-premises server. These Migration Endpoints capture the remote server’s information and provide the credentials for migrating your data.

Now You’re Ready to Migrate Your Mailboxes.

If you are performing a stage migration, select the users to include in the first batch of the migration. Now you can begin the migration. Once you receive notification that the sync is complete, verify that the migration worked to ensure there are no errors and that you have included the appropriate users in the Office 365 Admin Center.

After Migration

After your migration to Office 365, you should complete a few post-migration steps to ensure the new system is running smoothly and effectively:

• Route emails directly to your new Office 365. It can take up to 72 hours for some email systems to recognize the change from on-premises to cloud email.
• Activate your Office 365 user accounts by assigning the appropriate licenses.
• Create an auto-discover record so users can quickly access their new mailboxes.
• Lastly, you should retire your on-premises email servers and celebrate as the migration is now officially complete!

At this point, you should feel a sense of accomplishment (and well-deserved at that). But your work isn’t done yet. Through Office 365 Support you can easily try out all the new features and maybe even gain a level up on the old features. Office 365 walks you through signing in, creating and saving projects, sharing and collaborating with staff, and setting up your mobile apps. Then, it introduces you to a few new things that will increase your productivity at work, such as Flash Fill in Excel or morphing your slides in PowerPoint.

Finally, schedule regular training for your staff to make the most out of your new Office 365.  Then you can “pat yourself on the back!”

As you can see, migrating to Office 365 isn’t easy. That’s why businesses in {city} count on the experts at {company} to handle the migration for them. For more information contact us at: {phone} or {email}

We recently came across some chilling news. A white hat hacker developed a working “Ransomcloud” strain, that encrypts cloud e-mail accounts like those in Office 365, and it does this in real time. This strain uses a smart social engineering tactic to trick you into giving the bad guys access to your cloud e-mail account. This means that if you open your e-mail in a browser, it can encrypt the whole lot right in front of your eyes. Thankfully, Ransomcloud hasn’t hit the wild yet. With that said, there’s no reason why it wouldn’t, especially because it’s not all that hard to do.

Ransomware is a term that you should be aware of. There are 3 types of ransomware: File- Scareware, Screen Locker, and File-Encrypting Ransomware.

• Scareware is malware that works for both security software and tech support. It can be recognized by its notification telling you that your computer is plagued with a specific bug or virus. In order to remove it, you need to pay a fee to the hacker.
• Screen Locker uses an official-looking seal from government programs such as the FBI or Department of Defense. It locks your computer screen and requests that you pay a fine to unlock it and retrieve your data.
• File-Encrypting Ransomware is a type of malware that tricks you into clicking on a suspicious link or opening a phishing e-mail. Ransomcloud is the newest variant of file-encrypting ransomware and is incredibly dangerous. In the Ransomcloud Demo Video, Kevin Mitnick, KnowBe4’s Chief Hacking Officer, shows us the dangers of this new variant and what it means for our cloud-based emails. Once the Ransomcloud is initiated, either by clicking on the link or opening the e-mail, it immediately begins encrypting or scrambling e-mails. This is especially dangerous if you are connected to a corporate network that shares access to files, such as a shared cloud. Any files you have access to can be encrypted.

Often the malware is represented as something else. For example, the e-mail can come through as an update or program that is beneficial to you. For example in the demo video, the e-mail looks like it was from Microsoft. The e-mail may appear to come from a large company such as Microsoft–even using authentic logos–It’s important to look for anything suspicious before opening it or clicking on it. If you see that the e-mail says that Microsoft is launching a new anti-spam pro product, without taking a deeper look, you could easily shrug it off as authentic.  (Keep in mind, that while this specific example uses the ruse of a “new Microsoft anti-spam service” it could be anything from any company as long as it helps the hacker reach their goal.) Since the e-mail stated that this new program will keep spam from your Outlook 365 inbox it wouldn’t be suspicious if it asked you to stay logged in and provide access to your data.

As soon as you accept these terms, the fatal mistake is made. You are essentially providing an “OAuth token,” which gives the hacker complete control. Once that OAuth Token is given up, all of your e-mails and attachments are encrypted real-time! The horrifying thought is that a Ransomcloud attack will work for any cloud e-mail provider that allows an application to give control through e-mail. It will also work for Google. After the link is clicked, and you go back to your e-mail, at first, it looks perfectly fine; then you’ll see changes moving swiftly throughout each and every e-mail in your inbox. All of your e-mails are quickly encrypted, leaving only the header readable.

Ransomware earns its name for what it does next.

Next, you’ll be notified that to decrypt your data you must pay a ransom. The hacker will explain how to do this.

The ransom is typically requested in the form of bitcoins. Bitcoins were created in 2009, as a new form of currency. When using this currency, there’s no need for banks or other middlemen, to intervene. The transaction is just between you, your bitcoins and your supplier. So why would bitcoins be a common currency for ransomware attacks? Because Bitcoins can be used without the name and paper trails (which can be limiting to criminals). Additionally, Bitcoins don’t use credit reports, or fees, and can work internationally without the regulations that other currencies are subjected to.

Using bitcoins gives this crime another shade of elusiveness. In the KnowBe4 Ransomcloud Demo video the hacker’s ransom e-mail states that the cloud e-mails have been encrypted and if the user wants the decryption code, they must pay a fee of $300 bitcoins to be sent to a specific bitcoin address. The video ends with the user paying the hypothetical $300 bitcoins and receiving the decryption code. Just as quickly as it started, it’s over, and the e-mails all return to their readable status.

The dangers of this are especially pertinent if you and your employees are working in a cloud-based environment. This is why it’s especially important to train your employees to be vigilant to secure your business data. They should carefully look at each e-mail prior to opening it or clicking on links. One small click of the mouse can turn into a world of trouble for your business.

The Take-Home Message

Simple training can help secure your company and your data. Training staff to spend a little more time when sorting through e-mails could save your business from a ransomware attack. This is where the importance of the training comes in. Employees should be trained to recognize ransomware emails and constantly look for ones that are suspicious, such as those containing simple grammatical mistakes or excessive punctuation. You should have a policy in place that tells them how to flag suspicious e-mail. Additionally, employees should all be trained on the importance of not opening or clicking on suspicious e-mails or links.