by Felicien | Feb 19, 2019 | Education
Do you have a lot of data?
Are you able to organize your data in a convenient logical way and then search for it with ease and/or with advanced search criteria so that the results are not in the hundreds but in the tens or less?
Is managing it or finding specific data at any given time proving time-consuming? Does that consumption of time eat into your budget?
If any of this is true, you may need an advanced program, something like Advanced eDiscovery that you can use via your Microsoft 365 subscription. It’s great for lawyers and it’s great for just about anyone else in any other industry who needs a better way of managing data.
Here’s how
Advanced eDiscovery helps people like you manage data.
What is Advanced eDiscovery?
First, what is Advanced eDiscovery? You may already be familiar with eDiscovery. eDiscovery is software that helps you process and collect information in a digital form or from digital sources. Examples include:
Emails
SMS
File Shares
Web pages
Social media
Other online documentation
eDiscovery allows you to search and put together information and unstructured data with relative ease. You can also search, tag, review, organize, analyze, and/or export it whenever necessary.
Office 365 Advanced eDiscovery is the next level — it fills many of the gaps left by eDiscovery and incorporates Equivio Zoom technology — Microsoft acquired Equivio in January 2015. Advanced eDiscovery, by optimizing the powerful tools provided by Equivio technology, makes managing data and gathering things like evidence much more efficient and intuitive.
What features does it offer?
The powerful features presented by Advanced eDiscovery include some of the following capabilities:
Powerful search capabilities that allow you to:
search documents stored within Office 365 as well as information and data outside of Office 365,
search using keywords and/or specific conditions defined by the program or added by the user,
identify information that is redundant or duplicative,
determine the relevance of using advanced predictive coding, and
apply tags to in effect label certain documents under one theme.
Intuitive organizational capabilities that allow you to:
cluster or group information from relevant topics,
define who has access to the data or allow only certain persons to view information, and
set up notifications.
Extensive analysis, reporting, and exporting capabilities that allow you to:
analyze data using different criteria,
filter information into a specific package using tags or labels that the user created, and
generate reports that can be submitted to government agencies or other legal institutions.
How does Microsoft Office 365 Advanced eDiscovery help manage your data?
Managing data is all about the above-mentioned features. Using these features, you can prepare a case, process it, analyze information and data, determine and save what is relevant, create reports, and export information, data, and/or reports.
The following is a breakdown of steps you would typically take when using Microsoft Office 365 Advanced eDiscovery to manage a new set of data:
Step 1: Conduct a search and pair down the information by about 60%. You can use different modes and themes to narrow the search.
Step 2: Click on the Relevance tab to mark each entry as R (relevant), NR (not relevant), or Skip (for later determination).
Step 3: Decide if you should move forward by clicking on the Decide tab.
Step 4: If you want to create a package to send to another party, you click on the export tab.
Advanced eDiscovery is all about helping users assess their position, protect data and information, and respond to requests for data, information, or compliance issues, among many other uses. There’s a lot to learn about Office 365 programs. It offers a lot of tools, but you can’t build if you do not know how to use the tools. Return to this blog regularly to learn more about these tools to make your professional life more efficient and productive.
by Felicien | Feb 19, 2019 | Education
Looking for ways to help your team accomplish more? Consider equipping their workspaces with additional monitors. Skeptics are likely shaking their heads at this, wondering, “Will that really improve productivity, or only give my employees an extra incentive to stream videos or play games? Aren’t more screens just a recipe for distraction?” Believe it or not, business leaders recommend providing your employees with two or more monitors. Here are just a few reasons why multiple monitors should be on your radar screen:
Digital Decluttering
It’s well-known that a messy workspace typically leads to chaos and confusion. Working at a crowded or disorganized desk requires you to navigate piles of paperwork or jumbles of office supplies to get things done. A cluttered desktop computer has the same effect. An abundance of icons and open tabs creates headaches for your team, while a second monitor keeps apps and programs organized.
Higher Productivity
Industry leaders report that productivity increases with two or more monitors. Users can navigate multiple applications efficiently, view more information simultaneously, and customize each monitor’s layout– with different landscapes and resolutions– to optimize ease-of-use.
Most modern computers are designed with multiple-monitor systems in mind. That means your employees can enjoy the benefits of added data availability without having to learn a new software program or spend valuable time configuring a new system. Those advantages alone are enough to boost productivity and streamline workflows. It’s also worth mentioning that Windows automatically “remembers” which monitor you last used to open a program, defaulting to that screen when you need to access the program again. When you’re multitasking or working on a big project, you can keep application accessibility consistent to maximize efficiency.
Versatility
Multiple screens prove invaluable in a variety of occupations– from graphic design to market analysis and stock-trading. You can easily make use of multiple applications and copy, paste, and edit data and images when you have access to more than one monitor. If your marketing team uses social media to promote your brand, they can reserve one screen for Twitter and Instagram and keep other documents open on another.
Likewise, if you must frequently respond to email, you can glance up from your work occasionally to check the other monitor for new inbox arrivals, rather than having to toggle back and forth within one screen, which can make digital correspondence more of a distraction than it has to be.
Workstations with extra monitors are also helpful for people who use laptops and need to frequent multiple workspaces throughout the day. Some companies provide “docking stations” where employees can connect a laptop to multimedia equipment– such as a monitor, speakers, and wireless keyboards– to access data, utilize a particular application, or perform other tasks. This is more cost-effective and efficient than providing each employee with a desktop and a laptop.
Data-Sharing and Referencing
When meeting with colleagues, you can effectively keep them “in the know” by enabling them to view the same information simultaneously. Whether you’re presenting information to a small group or a larger crowd, multiple monitors can be adjusted to display information from different angles, making it highly-visible to everyone. Similarly, if you are communicating with clients and vendors, you can track inventory or an order’s status without putting people on hold while you look up the information.
When preparing reports, you can have a PDF or HTML file open on one screen for reference while you create a Word document or Excel spreadsheet on another. If you have more than two monitors, you can keep other pertinent information within easy reach, too, allowing you to transition more smoothly from one task to the next.
Collaboration
When teleconferencing via Skype or a similar app, you can make your data visible to colleagues while still communicating almost as though you were face-to-face. Displaying data on one screen while video-chatting on another allows you to keep the interaction personal without compromising data accessibility.
The idea of providing multiple monitors for your staff may seem counterintuitive at first, but the advantages outweigh potential drawbacks. When you make dual-monitor systems a staple of your workplace, using them will become second-nature, especially when you see how they make it possible to move so effortlessly from one application to another. This low-maintenance solution gives your team the opportunity to get more accomplished in less time and paves the way for better communication and collaboration. All these benefits can go a long way toward improving morale and serving as a catalyst for enhanced creativity and innovation.
by Felicien | Feb 18, 2019 | Education
What Is the Big Picture in Terms of Cybercrime in 2018?
The past few years have revealed trends that show us cybercrime won’t just go away. The following stats put the breadth of the threat into perspective:
Cybercrime was the 2nd largest crime in terms of the number of incidents reported.
Cybercrime accounts for more than half all criminal activity in the U.K.
An attacker is present in a network an average of 146 days before getting caught. That’s enough time to get what they need without getting caught.
What Did Cybercrime Cost in 2018?
With technology continuing to advance in favor of cybercrime, 2019 is likely to see its share of hacking headlines. The Cyber Security Breaches Survey revealed that 43 percent of businesses experienced some kind of cybersecurity breach in 2018. California alone lost $214 million to cybercriminals.
VPNs are one way people try to protect their online privacy, but user behavior continues to counteract the best firewalls and security strategies. For example, despite knowing the risks of clicking an unknown link or email, many people do so anyway.
What is a Cybercrime Platform?
The cybercrime economy mimics the global economy’s shift towards a platform model. This mirrors the legitimate shift to social media, Amazon and Google. Platforms connect retailers and consumers and give people a place to interact in other ways. Unfortunately, this has given unscrupulous people an opportunity to get to know how these systems work and use that knowledge to commit cybercrimes.
What Is the Most Common File Format Used By Cyber Criminals?
Hackers love Microsoft Office file extensions. They know people trust them and are more likely to click on them. Emails are the most common way that cybercriminals defraud their victims, and they do so by sending files with familiar extensions to mask malware and spyware. People use emails every day for all kinds of communications, including very sensitive information. Unfortunately, it’s relatively easy for bad actors to send you an email that opens you up to viruses, identity theft and other risks.
How Are Cyber Criminals Making Money Off Your Computing Power?
Some hackers aren’t interested in your personal information or causing havoc with your sensitive files. Believe it or not, some cyber criminals break into your computer to steal your computing power. They may use these unauthorized resources to mine cryptocurrencies, for example.
One of the latest threats involves the use of your computer or other devices for bitcoin mining. Symantec has reported an increase of 8,500 percent in the number of people caught coin-mining. This indicates that there are hackers dedicated to accessing and using a victim’s computer resources in lieu of stealing personal data.
How Much Money Can a Cybercriminals Make?
The short answer to this is that an individual with the right skills can earn far more via cybercrime than most legitimate lines of work. Individuals can earn about half a million dollar a year by selling stolen data. There are several levels involved, however. Low-level hackers may be happy with petty crimes that put extra cash in their pocket. Highly specialized hackers can make millions working alone or as a team. Generally, though, hackers make about 15 percent more than those in traditional crime brackets. High earners bring home about$167,000 a month, mid-level earners rake in $75,000 a month and at the low end of the spectrum, petty cybercriminals make $3,500 a month. For instance, someone managing multiple card data forums can bring in millions each month.
How Do Hackers Use Existing Platforms to Make Money?
Just turn on the news any given night and you can find stories on data breaches, the bread and butter of cyber thieves. Personal data can be sold as is or used to created bank accounts and apply for credit cards, which are sold for small or large fortunes. Theft isn’t the only crime possible. Major platforms are targeted for the myriad of data they collect. Even Facebook is not immune. It was in the news for a significant data leak in 2018. Yahoo also had a major breach that compromised 3 billion user profiles. Cybercriminals aren’t shy about going after these giants, so it’s up to you to increase your vigilance at home and at the office.
Are Smart Homes Vulnerable to Cyber Attacks?
Smart home devices usually connect to your home network from an outside network. If your router is adequated protected, you’re opening the front door of your home for cybercriminals. With smart home devices becoming more common, savvy criminals are learning to take advantage of their vulnerabilities.
by Felicien | Feb 18, 2019 | Education
Construction companies have specific IT requirements. Time is money in any business, but that’s especially true in the construction industry. You need excellent communication and coordination between management and workers and the ability to oversee contractors and order materials quickly. For that, you need top construction planning software and your company needs a comprehensive IT strategy. Just as you subcontract out certain work in your construction projects because it’s more efficient, your IT needs are usually better served by those who can deliver at less cost and more efficacy.
State-of-the-Art Technology
A managed service provider (MSP) offers clients access to state-of-the-art technology. There is no need for constant tech upgrading and the additional cost on the part of your company when you use managed IT. When your company goes the managed IT route, you also won’t experience any unpleasant surprises when it comes to charges. You pay a fixed fee every month, according to your contract. You can also design the right type of IT management for your construction company, as the MSP does not deal with companies on a one-size-fits-all basis when it comes to IT.
State-of-the-Art Skills
When hiring an MSP, you are hiring expertise. You know that, but you may not realize that circumstances may arise in which your business requires an IT specialist in a particular field. If you rely on an in-house team in which no one has this specific skill, you must either pay for training or hire an expert for this certain task. That’s not an issue with managed IT, as you are dealing with a team with state-of-the-art skills that can deal with your company’s problems as needed. Managed IT offers advantages not only over the costs of an in-house team but means you don’t have to outsource to another entity when problems arise.
Security Issues
Your construction company needs top IT support for security. It’s likely that you have an in-house team – especially one consisting of just a few employees – that does not have the expertise to deal with the latest threats. That means your company’s computer systems are far more vulnerable than you might think. Just as your construction business involves core competencies, security is a core competency of any managed IT company.
How an Outside IT Firm Saves Money
It makes no sense for a smaller construction company to hire an in-house IT expert, but it really does not make sense for most larger construction companies, either. When you have in-house IT professionals, you must pay salaries and benefits. When you hire an outside IT firm to provide services, those items are not your concern. A third party IT provider is probably more aware of the latest viruses, malware, cyber threats and other factors that can harm your system than an in-house team. For those providers, staying abreast of current threats is a vital part of their business. If your system is hacked or otherwise compromised, the outside firm is available 24/7. That means reduced downtime when a problem arises.
Even if you do have an in-house IT tech team, a third-party IT provider is not working on the same projects, and this frees up your employees to focus on your business needs and your bottom line rather than dealing with typical IT administrative tasks or outages. A third-party IT provider deals with troubleshooting, upgrades and new tech implementation, allowing your IT employees to concentrate on your construction projects.
With the money saved by outsourcing your IT requirements, you can direct those funds toward areas most needed by your company.
Company Expansion
Managed IT allows for easier company expansion, especially across state lines or nationally. Managed IT with a cloud strategy avoids many of the difficulties construction companies face if relying on their own technology when expanding. You no longer have to worry about primary office connectivity and loss of productivity due to a local power outage.
Peace of Mind
All sorts of factors affect your construction business and your bottom line. Whether it is a common situation such as materials delivery, the weather, permit delays or equipment failure, or the more exotic, such as discovering human remains or artifacts during digging, you know that complications occur on projects. With all that you must deal with on a daily basis, using a managed IT service for your construction company gives you peace of mind for that crucial aspect of your business.
by Felicien | Feb 18, 2019 | Education
What happens when Australia faces a cyber attack? The Members of Parliament (MP) jump into action. They are concerned about the breach and they want answers. The MPs require that top officials come before Parliament and the Intelligence and Security Committee to discuss how hackers potentially breached Politicians’ network systems and email.
Anthony Byrne, who is the Labor Member of Parliament, insisted that an explanation be given to him by the Department of Parliamentary Services, the Australian Signals Directorate Director-General, Mike Burgess, and Alastair MacGibbon who is the head of Australian Cyber Security Centre.
What Really Happened?
Despite their best efforts and using all possible resources, Speaker of the House of Representatives Tony Smith and Senate President Scott Ryan said identifying the cause of the incident would take time in a joint statement they issued. Also in the statement, they said at this time, there was no evidence that any data was accessed or taken; however, an investigation would continue to ensure the safety of everyone’s information. The investigation has not determined if the attack was from a foreign entity, but they do know it was a robust attack and not a kid in his basement.
There is great concern that this breach was intended to interfere with Australia’s political process similar to what occurred in elections in the US and France. There has been no proof that this was intended to impact the results of the processes occurring in Parliament. There was also no proof of an intent to influence election outcomes.
Other concerns expressed by the MP is that email went down at three o’clock in the morning, however, no one was notified about the breach until the system was already back online, which was not until nine o’clock that same morning. In addition, they were notified by email about the breach, but they weren’t able to get into their email system.
Actions Taken as a Result of Breach
Everyone has watched on the world stage as countries such as the US have experienced email breaches and the possibility of foreign countries negatively impacting their election outcomes. Even if there hasn’t been breaches, just the threat of them have caused morale problems in the country. Feelings of mistrust are already starting in Australia as many are concerned as a result of the attack and have lost faith that the Department of Parliamentary Services are able to handle these growing threats. They feel as though they may not have the expertise to handle these situations.
It was suggested to all politicians that they change their passwords within the expenses system. This is the system that tracks usage of funding received from the public for work purposes. This action was purely a preventative measure. Many measures have been taken over the years to tighten the cyber defences of Parliament. Despite this, the MPs are greatly concerned about their data.
Are There Other Concerns?
This is not the first time Australian politicians and systems have been targeted by cyber attacks. In 2011, the Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s computers were attacked and Chinese intelligence agencies were thought to be responsible. In 2013, Chinese hackers were blamed for stealing blueprints of Australia Security Intelligence Organisation headquarters, presumably to tap into phone and computer lines. In 2017, defense data was hacked and stolen. In 2018, Australian government took aim at Russia for a previous router attack.
In early 2018, the Australian Cyber Security Centre analysed a cyber attack and found that eight Australian web hosting companies were compromised and allowed bad actors the ability to hack into their customers’ websites. In December 2018, the US Justice Department and UK officials charged Chinese government hackers with indictments. At that time, Alastair MacGibbon, the head of the Australian Cyber Security Centre told thousands of Australian businesses that they may have been hacked by the Cloudhopper epidemic that was plaguing heavy-hitting global IT companies like IBM. Last month, the Australian Cyber Security Centre shared some of their findings, which is that data attacks are on the rise in Australia. In the last quarter of last year, there were 262 breaches and 168 of those were considered criminal.
Most likely, Australian officials won’t publicly place blame, but through media leaks, it may come out that China is to blame for this latest cyber attack on politicians. It has been known for a long time that Beijing has an entire unit in their military that handles these type of attacks as well as stealing secrets. Despite being a covert operation, their name is known. It’s the People’s Liberation Army Unit 61398. Even though it will take a significant amount of time to determine who is behind the attack, because of all the known data and frequent accusations from other governments, it is easy to speculate that Beijing is the attacker.
Whoever is behind the cyber attack, it is believed that they could be trying to gather information on a particular party possibly to discredit them, or just to get what they believe is provocative gossip. They also could be intending to derail a particular campaign’s agenda. Quite possibly, it could be used simply to discredit the entire governing body and create distrust within the general public.
