by Felicien | Sep 12, 2020 | Education
What Is Two-Factor Authentication?
When it comes to keeping your business safe from hackers, you’re willing to pull out all the stops.
But what if he didn’t have to “pull out all the stops”? What if the only thing you needed was a simple technique for preventing hackers from ever infiltrating your data and networks in the first place?
Enter: Two-factor authentication.
What Is Two-Factor Authentication?
Apple defines two-factor authentication as “an extra layer of security … designed to ensure that you are the only person who can access your account, even if someone knows your password.”
Now, if you’re a business owner, you’re probably thinking: Shouldn’t we just never let anyone have our passwords and call it good?
Unfortunately, the truth is that passwords actually aren’t very good barriers against hackers. That’s because even the most basic hacker with just a handful of tech knowledge can crack a password with ease.
What you really need to protect access to your accounts, your data, and your networks is an authentication process that can only be carried out by the individual who owns/is the primary user of the account. This means you need to force the individual to utilize something that only they have. After all, technically, anyone can have possession of a password (it’s just a word or a string of numbers, letters, and symbols). If you really want to authenticate someone, it’s far better to utilize a device that that person carries.
This is really what two-factor authentication is.
How Does Two-Factor Authentication Work?
Two-factor authentication (sometimes called 2FA) has two phases:
First phase: Knowledge authentication (password)
The first phase prompts the user to put in something they know — a piece of information or knowledge that has been linked to the account. This is usually a password.
Sometimes, it might be a pin (personal identification number). Or finally, it might be some sort of shared secret, like the name of your first dog or your favorite elementary school teacher. This bit of information will have been solidified to the account previously — either when you originally formulated your password or pin or when you answered your “secret question.”
Second phase: Possession authentication (device)
In the second phase of authentication, the user has to provide proof that they own a specific device. This is usually a cell phone.
For example, after the first piece of information (the password) has been authenticated, the user will be prompted to have a code or pin sent to their cell phone. Again, this cell phone will already have been linked to the account during the initial set up of the two-factor authentication process.
When the code arrives (generally via text), the user simply needs to reenter the code into the system they are trying to log into. If it’s correct, they will then have full access to the account without a hitch.
What About Biometric Scanners?
Biometric scanners are devices that scan parts of your body – such as your eye, your fingerprint, or your entire face and use that as the “password” to allow you to access your account, an entrance, etc.
Biometric scanners are still being studied and tested. They are used in some places and with specific devices and software, but they aren’t quite ubiquitous yet. Studies show that two-factor authentication can go a long way at preventing hackers from infiltrating your accounts and systems, so if you’re looking for a quick and easy way to tighten your security right now, two-factor authentication is a great way to go.
Interested in Using Two-Factor Authentication?
Some companies like Apple and Google have internal options for two-factor authentication already set up. You simply need to opt-in. If you are interested in introducing two-factor authentication with another access point at your business, speak with your managed service provider to learn more.
by Felicien | Sep 6, 2020 | Education
A Look at the New Apple macOS 11 Big Sur Update
The newest macOS update, officially number 11 and called Big Sur, was announced in late June 2020 at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). Big Sur is such a large and significant update that Apple skipped from version 10.15 straight to 11. For the past nearly 20 years – since March 2001 – the company has assigned each new OS version number 10.X. For example, the current version, Catalina, is 10.15 and the previous one, Mojave, was 10.14.
There is a beta version of Big Sur currently available to the public, and the full rollout will launch later this fall. It’s notable that this is the first macOS version to be released under Apple’s new hardware platform, where they shifted away from Intel-based Macs and are transitioning to custom ARM processors, which already power iOS devices.
The radical macOS overhaul intends to give users both freshness and consistency. To that end, Apple redesigned every element possible, from rounding corners of windows and changing the interface colors to making menus more intuitive and adding entirely new control symbols.
Safari gets a makeover
Some of the most noteworthy changes in Big Sur are in Safari. The web browser got major upgrades in both speed and security, and it’s substantially more battery-efficient. Users have an all-new customizable start page and redesigned tabs, plus the ability to translate entire web pages with a single click. Safari extensions are now easier to find in the App Store, and users can designate specific websites to use – or not use – extensions. Another new feature allows users to easily import their extensions from Chrome and Firefox. Finally, a new Privacy Report clearly shows which trackers and malware Safari are blocking.
Interface design changes
Big Sur brings several dozen changes, some minor and some major, to the macOS interface. Visually, Big Sur brings a lighter overall aesthetic to macOS with more translucent windows, a cooler color palette, and rounded icons. Users will notice it looks remarkably similar to iOS, and that’s not accidental – Apple aims to give users a more cohesive experience across all devices.
Apple also sought to make macOS more intuitive with Big Sur, and some of the most noticeable ways they’ve done that are the changes to menus and control bars. They’ve been completely redesigned to be less prominent and therefore less obtrusive, plus they pop up when necessary and disappear when they aren’t. The newly-customizable Control Center now appears at the top right-hand side of the screen, along with the Notification Center, which has also been redesigned. Users will notice many similarities between the Control Center and iOS, such as the widgets for quickly turning Airplane Mode or wi-fi on and off.
Other notable Big Sur updates
System updates will automatically start in the background and finish more quickly.
Messages are now almost identical to the iOS version and have @mention and Memoji functionality.
Maps have been updated to include macOS support for Look Around, Guides, and shared ETA updates.
Apple Music got additional features, including personalized playlists and artist interviews.
Photos gained a new machine learning-powered Retouch tool.
If you’re interested in testing out Big Sur beta, be aware that – like all OS beta versions – it has some bugs. Some apps are noticeably sluggish and some features aren’t complete, but remember the whole point of companies releasing beta versions is to work those kinks out. Feel free to download Big Sur beta, but consider doing it on a secondary computer, particularly if you use your primary one for work or school. Look for the official Big Sur release in late fall 2020.
by Felicien | Aug 31, 2020 | Education
Business VoIP Services
The modern-day workplace has evolved thanks to advances in hardware and software solutions. Virtual applications backed by cloud environments enable employees to work from anywhere. Therefore, companies need communication tools to coordinate activities happening in various locations.
However, landlines and other conventional telephony solutions are too stationary and cumbersome to keep up with such a demand. So, what are your best options? Well, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) can help your company improve your business’ approach to communicating over the phone.
VoIP solutions are easy to implement, and they come at a more affordable price point. Your organization can also layer VoIP over legacy hardware to enhance the quality of your business telephone solutions and to add some mobility.
The benefits keep rolling in when you consider the advantages of VoIP. Let’s look at the top 10 reasons why you should consider switching to VoIP to experience this world of convenience.
Business Convenience
VoIP solutions embed over cloud-based digital signals. This means you can make phone calls on any device that connects to the internet.
This means that any mobile phone, PC, or devices can act as an extension of your business line, provided you can install the companion VoIP application. This means you don’t have to worry about your clients reaching out to you on your non-business number.
Mobility
With VoIP solutions, you’re free to leave the office to look for prospects without worrying about missing important phone calls and other pieces of communication.
Sure, you can forward calls from landlines to your cell phone for the same effect. But, that’s always such a hustle. VoIP apps eliminate such an inconvenience by turning your cell phone into an extension of your business number.
Scalability
You can adjust the number of users to meet the changing scale of your business with relative ease. VoIP solutions can also enable you to adjust your phone services to meet the rising or falling demand from your customers.
Lower Maintenance Costs
VoIP lines plug into routers and servers though standard RJ-45 jacks. Therefore, you don’t need to uproot existing connections to embed VoIP capacities on to your current networking system.
This means you can have VoIP services up and running within a short time. It also reduces related maintenance costs. Your in-house IT staff also won’t need additional tools to manage and monitor the VoIP network.
A Wider Array of Business Telephone Services
VoIP solutions providers care more about your business telephone needs aside from voice quality. They offer services that improve your approach to business. These services include:
Custom-made voicemail
Call forwarding and waiting
Chat capabilities
Syncing online schedules and calendars
Video call capacities
And, many more!
Such tools make it easier to speak to clients, chasing potential lead while enhancing intra-company communication. You can get such services at a more reasonable price point than compared to landlines.
Enhanced Security
Many companies are unwilling to trust in IoT technologies due to the prevalence of cyber-attacks. However, it would be a mistake to lump VoIP solutions with such technologies.
VoIP solutions feature encryption that makes them even more secure than conventional business telephony technologies.
Effective Backups And Constant Access
Since VoIP is a cloud-based service, you no longer have to worry about losing voicemail messages texts and other achieved communications in the event your phone or laptop crashes.
Tour business number will also be available to customers on a 24/7 basis unless you choose to switch it off. This ensures that you can remain engaged in providing the services or insights your clients need even when you’re on the move.
Autonomy Over Call Settings
Changing call forwarding, voicemail, and other settings on landlines and other conventional phone setups can be extremely frustrating. To add to the misery, you have to make such changes from your office, as there’s no practical way of doing so while on the move.
VoIP solutions add a lot of flexibility and autonomy over how you can address such tasks. Best of all, you can do so while on the move provided you have a mobile device that has a companion app.
Conference Call Capabilities (Built-In)
Businesses with diverse and remote branches need highly effective voice and video conference calling capabilities. VoIP enables your company to set up such functionalities rapidly and more effectively than you could with landlines.
You can make a conference call with any devices that has a camera and a built-in speaker. Such services also allow you to synchronize your contact lists, schedules, and calendars.
More Affordable Than Conventional Telephones
A conservative cost-benefit analysis is the best way to determine if a new piece of technology is worth the price you need to pay. And you may have noticed how upgrades to IT appliances and software can come at a high price point.
Fortunately, a majority of VoIP solutions won’t break your bank!
While pricing models vary with your choice of a service provider, you could still pay 40 to 80 percent less when compared to conventional business telephone solutions.
In Summary
Your business stands to gain a lot from adapting to the latest trends in IT. As you can see, VoIP solutions can bring the same benefits to your voice communication. It’s not only a matter of making clearer telephone calls but also expanding the possibilities of your communication arrays.
VoIP solutions are an affordable way to ensure your company stays in touch with clients and employees regardless of their location. Such technologies are reshaping the office as a concept. Who knows? Maybe in the next few years, your company won’t even need an office and those stuffy landlines. So, it would be best if you got VoIP solutions today to stay ahead of this coming wave.
by Felicien | Aug 24, 2020 | Education
When the going gets tough in business, it’s those who can adapt through drastic changes thrive. You may have made some strategic decisions through a triage of measures that helped you to leverage the resources you have to climb up the success ladder.
There comes a time when you need to upgrade your technology to climb further up the ladder. In such cases, hiring a capable IT director or CIO could be your best option. But, as we know, finding, let alone paying someone to play such a critical role can be costly and tricky.
Does this mean you should forgo such a strategic goal? Well, you could hire an IT consultant to guide your In-house team to the next step. And, the good news such a consultant doesn’t even need to come on board on a full-time basis.
It sounds challenging, but you can do it more effectively if you take the time to make the following considerations:
Is It the Right Time To Bring an IT Consultant On-Board?
IDC’s latest report projects a 25 % rise in annually ICT spending over the next 5-10 years in various industries. Most of this spending will go into updates to traditional systems, and most businesses will be augmenting the latest advances in technology.
So, you’ll need an IT consultant to give your company such changes. It’s not a straight forward process, and what works for a particular enterprise may not be as effective for yours.
Here are a few questions to ensure you settle on the right candidate:
Is Their Experience Relevant to Your Industry?
Your potential candidate should have experience in dealing with corporations that function on the same scale as yours. It’s also wise to choose one whose industrial exposure is relevant to your field of business.
Let’s presume you’re a county-wide chain of mom and pop diners. An IT consultant that usually deals with fortune 500 banking institutions wouldn’t be a good fit for your company. Please take your time to vet their credentials to avoid any unforeseen disappointments.
Do They Have a Portfolio to Back Their Claims?
You can look at your candidate’s portfolio to get an impression of what they can deliver. If you’re pleased with what you see, take the time to ask them what methods they used to attain such impressive outcomes in previous engagements. This is the best way to find out if they can walk their talk.
Is Your Preferred Consultant a Team Player?
A good IT consultant should have the ability to articulate their ideas as clearly and precisely as possible. It also helps if they know their way around complex business processes and are passionate about the value they add when collaborating with others. They should also have confidence in their tech and business insights.
Can They Quantify Their Results?
Your preferred IT consultant needs to have the tools to measure and keep track of their results. This can help you gauge the efficacy of your new tech initiatives. This could include installing new applications, performing upgrades to systems, and data networks. It would also help if you can agree on the observable metrics for monitoring such results.
Summation
Hiring a competent IT consultant is more cost-effective and expedient than bring a full-time expert on-board. They can train the rest of your in-house IT staff and provide supervision to ensure everything goes without a hitch.
A great place to start from the recommendations of people that have taken such a step before. Take your time to look at their portfolio, reviews, and term sheets. This will ensure you get the right IT consultant for your company.
by Felicien | Aug 17, 2020 | Education
In many cases, you might want to combine multiple PDF files to create a single document. Disseminating information is often easier when you share one file instead of many. If you have Adobe PDF Pro, it’s easy enough to combine more than one document. You can also make several documents out of one large document. This is often common when you need to upload a file, but it’s too large.
Combining Two or More PDF Files
STEP 1: Open Adobe PDF Pro.
STEP 2: Open the first document you want to combine.
STEP 3: Click “Document,” then “Insert Pages.”
STEP 4: Choose “From File.” The dialog box will open. Choose the file you want to append to the first file by double-clicking it. A new dialog box will open. You can also choose “From Clipboard” if you copied something and need to paste it into the current file.
STEP 5: Choose the location from the drop-down box. Your choices are “Before” and “After.”
STEP 6: Choose “First,” “Last,” or “Page.” If you choose “Page,” you will need to enter a page number. Thus, you can insert a new file at the very beginning by choosing “Before” and “First.” you can insert a file at the very end of the first document by choosing “After” and “Last.” Or, you can insert a file in the middle of a document by choosing ‘before’ or ‘after’ and entering a page number.
STEP 7: Scroll through the document to ensure the second file is where you expected it to be.
STEP 8: Save the file with a new filename.
Removing Pages
STEP 1: Open the PDF document you need to break down.
STEP 2: Click “Document,” then “Extract Pages.” A dialog box will open.
STEP 3: Enter the pages you want to extract. For example, if you want to extract pages 2 and 3, you would enter ‘2’ in the first box and ‘3’ in the second.
STEP 4: Choose one of the boxes: “Delete Pages After Extracting” or “Extract Pages as Separate Files.” If you choose to delete the pages, the system will remove the pages from the document and then delete them. If you choose to extract pages as separate files, the system will open the pages in a new PDF document.
STEP 5: Choose “Yes” or “No” when the “Are You Sure?” dialog box pops up.
STEP 6: Save the newly edited document. If you chose to save the extracted pages as another document, be sure you save that document.
Additional Functions
You can also replace pages, delete pages, and split a file. One of the most useful functions is to split the file. Often, when you need to upload a PDF that is too big, instead of guessing how many pages make a certain file size, you can tell Adobe PDF Pro what size to split the file into. This is extremely helpful for law offices who upload PDF files to the clerk – county and federal clerks often put a file size restriction on files and pleadings often exceed that file size, especially when you have several attachments.
STEP 1: Open the file you want to split.
STEP 2: Choose “Document,” then “Split Document.”
STEP 3: If you know the number of pages you want in each file, choose the radio button for ‘Max Pages’ and enter the number in the box. If you want to divide the file into several files that are a specific file size, choose the ‘File Size’ radio button and enter the file size in megabytes in the box. You also have a third choice to split the file by top-level bookmarks.
STEP 4: Click “OK.” Adobe will split the file. A new dialog box will pop up telling you how many documents the system created. Click “OK.” You can find your files in the folder where the original document is located. They will have the same file name and ‘Part X’ appended to the file name.
Adobe Pro makes it easy to create files from files and to manipulate the files if you need to break them down, or if you need to add another file in the middle of your original file.
