Windows Defender is Microsoft’s own antivirus solution, and it comes bundled with Windows, so it’s confusing to think that a business would need to pay for it, right? Well, there are actually two separate products called Defender, with a big difference between them.
Microsoft's cybersecurity vulnerabilities have been making headlines recently. These lapses in security are causing concern for customers worldwide. The impact of these vulnerabilities is far-reaching. It affects network security and increases the risk of data breaches, causing somewhat of a ripple effect.
Both Microsoft and Google offer work profile solutions that are designed to separate personal and professional use on mobile devices. These profiles are commonly used in enterprise settings to enhance security and manageability while allowing employees to use their personal devices for work-related tasks. Here's an overview of work profiles from Microsoft and Google.
The end of support for Windows 10 is scheduled for October 14, 2025. While that is a couple of years away, it's crucial to start strategizing for the future now. After this date, Microsoft will cease providing technical assistance, security updates, and bug fixes for the operating system. This means that continuing to use Windows 10 beyond that point could expose users to security risks and performance issues.
Microsoft’s operating systems have been around for a long time, and since Windows 95, Microsoft has published free utilities that can help users make slight adjustments to their operating systems to suit their needs. Microsoft PowerToys are even available now, and we want to explore what they can do for your business, as well as how you can acquire them.
The holidays are fast approaching and that means people are going to miss work for one reason or another. If you can get away from the office for a little bit, you’ll want to set up an out-of-office message to ensure that others know you will get back to them when you get back to the office. Here’s how you can set up an autoresponder for an out-of-office message in Microsoft Outlook.
As many business owners are aware, their ability to communicate is critical to their business' success. They are also mindful that the current business environment has made it more challenging to communicate effectively as they did pre-coronavirus. As face-to-face and word of mouth communication have been significantly reduced, business communication has been transferred to the cloud, particularly when it comes to sharing information.
In Windows 10, Microsoft has built a complete and secure operating system. Users can do about anything they’d like inside of Windows 10. The platform was initially built to support three levels of devices, from smartphones to other mobile productivity machines, to your traditional productivity machines, your PCs. After Microsoft pulled the plug on their smartphone division, the subsequent changes they’ve made to the OS have been with the PC user in mind.
For context, it helps to know that Microsoft OneDrive is a cloud storage platform that just about any business could make use of, regardless of its size. After all, any size of business will have to remain organized.
Speaking of which, our first tip covers how OneDrive can make this organization super convenient for you.
Files On-Demand gives your users the ability to effectively link their File Explorer to OneDrive, which enables them to work with files found in your OneDrive without downloading all of them to their device. Not only does this save real estate in the device’s storage, it allows work to continue offline through a simple proactive switch in a particular file’s settings.
OneDrive can also work as a simple backup option, although it certainly should not replace a comprehensive plan. Regardless, Known Folder Move allows users to have the contents of certain folders automatically synchronize with their OneDrive storage. This can be set up during the initial installation of OneDrive, or at any time you have need for it.
Consider what typically happens when you try to share some kind of Office document as an email attachment for someone to work on: you aren’t sending them access to your file, you’re simply sending them their own copy. OneDrive fixes that by enabling a user to share their files as though they were attachments, editing the permissions provided on the fly. As a result, the actual file is being collaborated on, really allowing work to be done.
What has been your experience using OneDrive? Share your impressions, as well as any other questions we can help with, in the comments!
In OneDrive, a user can share a singular file or folder pretty easily. All they have to do is log in, right-click on the file/folder, and click Share.
Sharing this way allows a user to share their content with one of their contacts, send it to an email address, or copy a shareable link and send it along through an instant message or, again, and email. Doing so gives the recipient access to make edits to it by default, but the sender can restrict them to read-only access if desired.
However, you probably don’t want to micromanage your entire team to make sure they are sharing files and folders with people actually authorized to receive them. Fortunately, by using the global settings of OneDrive, you can take control past the file/folder basis to control how a user can share documents.
Assuming that you have administrative access over your OneDrive account, sign in by visiting https://admin.microsoft.com/ before proceeding with the following steps:
Doing so means that you have edited the global settings, applying your changes to all accounts. To manage settings on a case-by-case basis, access Users, Active Users, and select the individual who you are attempting to manage. You should find a OneDrive tab, with adjustable Sharing options.
With privacy and security being so critical for contemporary businesses, you need to make sure you are doing everything you can to maintain control of your company’s information. Our security experts can help - reach out to us at (604) 513-9428 to get started.
The two vulnerabilities were patched off of Microsoft’s typical “patch Tuesday” due to the urgency. Most Microsoft patches are released on the second Tuesday of the month. The fact that these two were released ahead of time might seem like an insignificant occurrence, but the reality is this event is a major red flag.
The most significant patch was for a zero-day vulnerability that was found in Internet Explorer. It may be hard to believe, but people are indeed still using this antique browser to surf the web. The term zero-day suggests that the vulnerability that was discovered, had already been exploited by ill-minded cybercriminals.
While not much information has been released on the event, Microsoft did call it a remote code execution exploit that, if accessed, could have given a user control of another user’s account. The attack requires phishing someone who is exploring the internet on Internet Explorer, and luring them onto a malicious website. Once there, an attacker would be able to gain access over the victim.
Internet Explorer is such a forgotten browser that the event did not spark a lot of controversy. This is largely due to the fact that Internet Explorer makes up just two percent of the active market share. However, for the relatively small amount of users that continue to surf, an event like this is still a huge disaster.
The second patch that Microsoft expedited was a denial of service vulnerability in Microsoft Defender. The antivirus program comes standard in all Windows 10 PCs, and truly is the core of Windows 10’s sterling security record.
The bug that was discovered wasn’t necessarily obvious, or easily exploitable. In order to do so, the attacker would need the ability to read, understand, and write code. Doing so would allow them to disable Windows Defender components, giving the attacker access. This would give them free rein to do whatever malicious act they chose to deploy.
Patches aren’t optional. If you are worried about your business’ vulnerability, speak to one of our experts at Coleman Technologies. We have the know-how to keep your software up to date. Give us a call at (604) 513-9428 today!
Microsoft 365 is a bundle containing Office 365, the Enterprise version of Windows 10, along with Microsoft’s Enterprise Mobility + Security. Microsoft 365 is comprised of all of these solutions, meaning your business will benefit from all of the features that come with these solutions, with just one package. So, what does this package include exactly?
Here are all of these solutions you could or should be taking advantage of with Microsoft 365:
Here at Coleman Technologies we understand this list is extensive. However, it is worth viewing as there could be solutions your business could benefit from. Coleman Technologies has the technicians needed to help you procure, implement, and manage the right solutions for you. Reach out to us at (604) 513-9428 to learn more.
The biggest difference between the two services is how they are delivered. Microsoft Office 2019 is the productivity suite in its traditional sense. You download the software solutions, like Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, which you can then access on your desktop. Since the programs are stored locally on your computer, you don’t need an Internet connection to access them.
On the other hand, you have Microsoft Office 365, which is the cloud-based variant that Microsoft is pushing these days. Office 365 has all of the software solutions that you expect from a productivity suite, but the primary difference comes from how they’re accessed. Office 365 can be delivered through the Internet rather than being found locally on the computer, meaning that it requires a solid Internet connection in order to work as intended. Furthermore, since the solution is found in the cloud, it can be accessed on any device through a web browser, meaning that it’s more accessible than it’s ever been.
As we mentioned before, the solution you’ll want to invest in will vary depending on various factors. If your Internet connection isn’t reliable, for example, your capacity to get work done might be limited with Microsoft Office 365. For a full list of what you should consider when planning out your productivity suite infrastructure, be sure to contact professional IT technicians who can run you through scenarios that you might not even foresee initially.
Coleman Technologies can provide your organization with a free consultation to determine which Microsoft Office solution works best for your specific needs. To learn more, reach out to us at (604) 513-9428.
Outdated software is an issue that all businesses have to deal with. The fact that so many organizations don’t routinely update their software solutions is pretty telling. For one, many businesses simply don’t have the resources at their disposal to make sure maintenance is performed on a regular basis. Granted, unless a business has taken substantial steps toward upgrading away from software that has reached its end of support date, they will have to suffer the consequences.
End of Life, also known as End of Support, is a term that is used to identify software that is not updated or patched after a specific period of time has passed. Certain Microsoft products can utilize the Extended Security Update, but only for a maximum of three years, meaning it’s more efficient and cost-effective to upgrade away from your old systems before they reach the end of support date.
How would your business be affected by a potential security breach? Since you won’t be receiving security patches or updates, you’ll need to consider this possibility. Following a major security breach, you’ll be forced to upgrade your systems anyway, so not only will you have those costs, but you’ll have to deal with the fallout of a data breach. It’s never too early to start taking preventative measures and think about the future of your infrastructure, as well as who will be responsible for the management, maintenance, and upgrading of your business technology.
Before Windows SQL Server 2008’s End of Support date arrives, consult this list of upcoming end of support dates and take the necessary steps to upgrade your technology. It’s better to do so now than wait until it’s too late.
Worrying about your business’s IT infrastructure is something that you simply don’t have time for. A managed service provider like Coleman Technologies can help you achieve affordable and accessible technology support, including the updates and patches needed to maintain network security. We can even help monitor your infrastructure for potential End of Support software that will soon be outdated. To learn more, reach out to us at (604) 513-9428.
Before we get started, we want to make sure that you know to consult with your IT department or provider before you go to make any of these changes. That way, they will be able to undo any mistakes you or your employees might make during the following processes.
It’s likely that there are some things that you regularly type into Microsoft Word that it may not agree with. Your company’s name might not exactly jive with the grammatical rules that the rest of the language should subscribe to, for instance, or you may prefer to stylize certain terms or phrases differently. Word isn’t going to like this, and is going to try to let you know that a mistake has been made. Of course, it might also just change the word you typed to what it is “supposed” to be.
These corrections can be a pain to repeatedly make, and there’s always the chance that one will be missed. Fortunately, Word offers you the opportunity to “teach” it new rules via a fairly simple process.
To access these rules, select File, and from there, Options. A new window should pop up with a Proofing option in the list. That page looks like this:
Here, you can alter a variety of proofing options, including your AutoCorrect Options. Clicking that button will present you with another window.
This window allows you to set your AutoCorrect rules, identify any exceptions you might want to make, and review how misspelled text can be automatically revised.
Returning to the Proofing List window, you also have other options that allow you to adjust Word’s corrections. For instance, clicking the Settings... button under When correcting spelling and grammar in Word provides another window. From here, you can control which grammar rules Word will flag or ignore in your copy.
By implementing these changes, you can prevent small annoyances from interrupting you as you work with Microsoft Word. This way, you can accomplish more without having to worry about dealing with automatic corrections again.
For more tips on how to best leverage your solutions to save you valuable time and money, subscribe to our blog!
The Quick Access Toolbar can be found at the top left of the window, with default options like Save, Undo, and Redo. It’s pretty easy to spot, isn’t it? This is one of the reasons that adjusting it to your preferences can be so helpful.
Making these changes is fairly simple. Your first step is to access the Quick Access Toolbar’s options. Under File. select Options, and in the window that appears, click Quick Access Toolbar in the sidebar menu. It should look like this...
From here, you can see that the typical Save, Undo, and Redo options are in the Quick Access Toolbar - which is all well and good, but you can easily use keyboard shortcuts to accomplish the same things.
You might find a different assortment of tools more handy to keep in your Quick Access Toolbar. Altering them is simple enough from this menu, all you have to do is select the item and click the appropriate button, Add>> or <<Remove. The list on the left defaults to Popular Commands, but there are plenty of options to choose from, based on your needs. For now, we’ll stick to Popular Commands.
Let’s assume you use Word to put a lot of data into context, so you use a lot of lists and tables… and it needs to be spelled correctly. You can easily change your Quick Access Toolbar to meet these preferences.
Once you’ve done so, just click OK and your changes will be saved. You can always revert to the default settings by using the Reset option as well.
The Ribbon in Word is where you find your options like Home, Insert, and the rest. Depending on your usage, you may not have much of a need for some of these options. Let’s assume that you don’t have any purpose for the Mailings tab, or the Draw tab, for that matter.
Again accessing File and Options, this time we’re looking for Customize Ribbon, which looks like this:
Just as we did with the Quick Access Toolbar above, you can adjust what is displayed in the Ribbon. Since we’ve established that - in this example - we have no purpose for either the Mailings or Draw tabs, we can uncheck them to remove them from the Ribbon display.
At the very bottom of the window is the Status Bar, which can be altered to provide other valuable information based on what you have prioritized. Doing so is very simple: just right-click on the Status Bar, and select (or deselect) the options.
There you have it- three ways to customize Microsoft Word to better suit your purposes. For more technology tips, make sure you subscribe to our blog!
Why You Want An MOS (Or Any Other) Certification
The more your internal staff can handle, the less they have to lean on others for assistance.
Chances are, these “others” would be the members of your internal IT team (assuming that you have more than one person in the first place). Otherwise, they’ll likely spend a bunch of valuable time trying to Google the answer to their question.
Therefore, it only makes sense to have your staff be capable of as much as possible independently, without the need to turn to someone else or an Internet search. That way, everyone’s time is used more efficiently, maintaining productivity and allowing everyone to focus on what needs to be done.
When a solution is as commonly used as Microsoft Office is, this only becomes even more evident.
Certifications are effectively seals of approval from an authority. If someone was to be certified as a Microsoft Office Specialist, it more or less is just proof provided by Microsoft that this someone does indeed know their stuff when it comes to the Office software suite. Having certified people on staff means that a business is able to handle more advanced situations.
The Operational Benefits Of A Microsoft Office Specialist
Microsoft’s productivity software titles are among the most commonly used in the business world, to the point where many of their applications’ names are now synonymous with the documents they produce - how often have you heard someone call a presentation a “Powerpoint” instead of a “slideshow?”
As a result, chances are fairly high that your business is one that uses at least one of the applications included in the “Microsoft Office” suite.
Like we said before, a lot of time can easily be wasted trying to do something in an Office program, especially if the person is having difficulty remembering how to perform a task that they do not need very often, or have never encountered before.
However, if your team has a few Microsoft Office Specialists on it, they would be able to assist with a quick message, reducing the stress put on your IT staff and allowing them to continue their other duties without interruptions coming in (at least, interruptions from Microsoft Office requests).
How to Become Certified
To learn more about this certification, visit Microsoft’s official page describing it. The official test is exclusively administered by Certiport testing centers, who provide a useful test center locator to help you figure out where and when your next testing opportunity is.
To otherwise assist your staff with their technology issues, and take some more of the workload from your internal IT staff’s shoulders, Coleman Technologies is here to help. Reach out to us at (604) 513-9428 to discuss our solutions with one of our professionals.
Coleman Technologies has been serving the British Columbia area since 1999, providing IT Support such as technical helpdesk support, computer support and consulting to small and medium-sized businesses. Our experience has allowed us to build and develop the infrastructure needed to keep our prices affordable and our clients up and running.
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