by Felicien | Jun 21, 2018 | Education
Celebrating its one-year anniversary, Microsoft reports that over 200,000 organizations have downloaded the Teams App. This chat-based workspace is part of Office 365 and developers consistently add new features to make the Teams App even more useful to businesses of every size across all industries.
Microsoft Teams is a great solution for meetings of any complexity and it’s available for all mobile devices, PCs and Mac computers.
Over the years, Microsoft has been successful by listening to their users. That means they stay up to date on the corporate culture all over the world. One of their strengths is to incorporate numerous useful tools into one app while integrating all their programs into an easy-to-access platform.
The painless way to hold a meeting
One of the big changes to the way companies do business these days includes the manner in which their employees meet each week. Whether you run a small business or an enterprise organization, you’ve no doubt got lots of people in different departments with a strong need to get together on a regular basis. In fact, companies in every industry can’t function anymore without the ability to meet up and discuss their work. This has become crucial to a project’s success.
You may be building a new robot that can perform delicate medical procedures or you may be building an incredible concept car. But often, businesses are just involved in ordinary day-to-day activities like selling products and providing good customer service. No matter what your job, your teams will be more productive and more efficient when they can collaborate. And that’s one of the strong points of the Teams App.
New changes in the MS Teams App for 2018
One of the more popular features, Chat Message, has been improved to make communicating simpler. Any team member, including guests, can use the instant message feature. This is a great way to say hello to a new team member or ask someone a quick question. It works much the same as other popular instant messaging apps.
Now teams can have guests, as well as external members. These participants will have access to any features that the team leader permits them to have. And, they only have access to teams that they’ve received an invitation from. Microsoft makes it easy for team leaders to control the guest experience.
SaaS integration
There are a number of SaaS services that can be integrated for use into the Teams App. Go to the “Add a Tab” page and there you’ll find a list of useful apps that can be added at the top of the channel so that all team members can access them.
For instance, click on “Survey Monkey” to add this app and then instruct team members to complete a survey about a current project or other relevant topics. There are dozens of helpful apps that most users are already familiar with including Hootsuite, Jira, Quizlet, and Zendesk.
Another fun feature just added to MS Teams is the Bot. There are all types of bots available in Teams. Growbot lets the team leader give kudos to a team member who has done an exceptional job. This is a unique way to build camaraderie in any team.
Microsoft has made it easier for users to locate the many helpful features in Teams by adding a link called “Store.” Click on Store to view all the available apps. You can also search for an app by name or category. You may want to find an app that deals with analytics, Adobe, or your calendar. Type a word in the search bar and all the apps related to this topic will show up.
The Teams app allows users to view a personalized version of the app so they can see exactly what tasks have been assigned directly to them. Completed tasks are shown as well.
The instant chat space now has the ability for users to include information from other apps. You may be chatting with a colleague and want to open a project from Visual Studio. Do this by clicking on the “More” dots located on the far right side of the icons at the bottom of the chat box. Once you click on More, this will open up all the apps, tasks, documents, and other items in your customized Teams app. Now you can attach these to your message. This feature is available for the channel or chat space.
Exciting Features
The developers at Microsoft understand the importance of creating a space where team members from all over the world can collaborate. Though they originally designed Teams for business, this helpful app has found its way into classrooms and colleges, as well as casual get-togethers. Even individuals have discovered how easy it is to plan a birthday party or anniversary celebration using the Teams app. There’s really no limit to its usefulness.
Are virtual meetings the way of the future?
With so many companies now utilizing the power of remote workers, the Teams App can streamline meetings so it feels like everyone is “in the room.” Whether employees are just down the street or on the other side of the world, they can participate. Virtual meetings have become the preferred way for teams and organizations to get together.
In the past, an organization’s employees would often go to great lengths to attend important meetings. But this is no longer necessary. Most companies have accepted the fact that it’s quicker and less expensive to host virtual meetings. Much research[1] has been completed to learn whether virtual meetings are just as effective as real meetings and the findings show that a virtual meeting can be even more effective than a real one.
Pros and cons of virtual meetings
In real meetings, people often feel uncomfortable. Maybe their chair isn’t set right or they should have dropped by a bathroom on the way to the meeting. When people can meet from their own location, they feel more energized and creative. This results in better meetings where important tasks are accomplished.
Virtual meetings save time and money and they reduce our overall carbon footprint, making them a big plus for the environment. It’s very simple to record a meeting so the contents are saved for later reference. And of course, you don’t have to worry about catching a cold from the guy sitting next to you.
If you need help with any of the new updates for MS Teams 2018, you can find that by searching online or navigating to the Microsoft website.
[1] https://meetingking.com/face-to-face-meetings-vs-virtual-meetings/
by Felicien | Jun 21, 2018 | Education
Quickbooks offers users at every level, an enterprise-grade accounting program to track income and expenses. This software package was designed to enable businesses to track financial expenditures and income with the level of detail necessary for complete control of company finances. It is somewhat like a soft copy of accounting book. Some people may find it a bit hard to navigate using the mouse or the navigation pad of a computer while working on a given document. The good news is that there are alternatives to achieving the same results by using the keyboard.
Tune into our free Quickbooks Training
CLICK HERE
You may find that your mouse gets lost under a heap of paperwork. Wireless mice are great for today’s busy professionals but they often fall off a table and land in the floor. You may have urgent financial reports due and need a quick fix for these issues. You don’t need to worry because there’s a way to get your accounting work done using some keyboard shortcuts.
Below are a few Control key combinations to make your work not only easier but more efficient while working in QuickBooks Online:
To do this in QuickBooks:
Press these keys together:
View a list of Shortcuts
CTRL + ALT +?
Create an Invoice
CTRL+ ALT + I
Create a check
CTRL + ALT + W
Enter an expense
CTRL + ALT + X
Open the Customer list
CTRL + ALT + C
Open the Vendor list
CTRL + ALT + V
Open the Help window
CTRL + ALT + H
Find transactions
CTRL+ ALT + F
Save and go to a new transaction
CTRL+ ALT + S
To close any window
Click Esc
Create an Invoice
CTRL+ I
Create a check
CTRL + W
Display Help in context
F1
Open the Customer list
CTRL + J
Find the History of any transaction
CTRL +H (with transaction open)
Open the Memorized transaction list
CTRL+T
Find Transactions
CTRL+F
Delete Transactions or list Items
CTRL+D
Create new list item
CTRL+N (with list open)
Some of these shortcuts will work differently when using various browsers as explained below.
To open the second window in:
Internet Express: Press Ctrl + N (You will be logged into existing company on both windows.)
Firefox: Press Ctrl + N (You won’t be logged into the second window, but will remain logged into the first one. The second window will allow you to log into the existing company so that you may work using both screens.)
Chrome: Press Ctrl + N (If you go to QBO in that window, you will be logged into the existing company.)
Split Your Screen
There is a way to split your screen by using shortcut keys on your keyboard. This allows you to have all your information on one page for easy reference while working. Just press the windows key and the left arrow for the screen you want on the left, plus the windows key and the right arrow for the screen you want to appear on the right side. If you want to resume normal screen view, simply press the windows key and the up arrow.
Duplicate Your Screen Tabs
Press the Alt+D to copy the address then press Alt+Enter to open a new tab with the URL. All you need to remember is to keep your thumb on the Alt key. Press Alt key down and then hit D and Enter almost simultaneously in order to duplicate the current tab. This works almost like magic! You get to open your tab twice instead of going back to the browser.
Sending Reminders
You can send invoices reminding clients to pay their bills using your QuickBooks Online and the Navigation Bar. Select Overdue Invoices to view and then finally click on the Send Reminders. You can even track the sent invoices and learn whether the client has viewed them. This also allows you to see how many times the customer has viewed them and whether they have ever viewed your email. If not, you may want to check to make sure you have the right email address for this customer.
Choose items in drop-down lists:
Press Tab until you reach the field.
Press Alt + down arrow to open the list.
Press up arrow or down arrow to move through the items in the list.
Press Tab to select the item you want and move to the next field.
If you don’t want to open the whole list, but just want to scroll through the items in the text box, press Ctrl + down arrow or Ctrl + up arrow.
Wrap up
Using Shortcuts in QuickBooks Online can be less time consuming because navigating through your accounting books is much easier when you use simple clicks on your keyboard. Plus, you never have to search around under a table for your mouse again. Shortcuts are a quick, easy method of accomplishing any task. That can help you shave valuable time off your workday so you can get home a bit faster and who doesn’t like the sound of that?
by Felicien | Jun 21, 2018 | Education
This article will cover a quick overview of the Microsoft Office 365 for June 2018 updates. The first step to making use of monthly or periodical updates is knowing that they exist. Updates simply provide new capabilities to your software or make improvements on the already existing ones. The challenge is thus having the knowledge on how they work. In a business organization, it would be an expensive affair to conduct employee training every time there is an update. The good news is that Microsoft has already taken care of that. On May 21st it launched the Microsoft Training Service, which is basically a digital customized service for Office 365 and Windows 10.
The classes are designed to help customers learn about the new updates without having a financial impact on management. The pre-pilot phase of this program has been undertaken by twenty-five organizations to help leverage training which includes customizable up-to-date content, right-sized experiences to an organization’s needs, and consumption tracking. These new services by Microsoft will be available as a pilot program in late July 2018. Be on the lookout. Those interested need to register at Microsoft Training Services Pilot.
New Outlook Features.
Outlook features across MAC, Windows, Web, and mobile devices help you manage your time better. Finding a location for your meeting is made easy. When you go to Outlook, before typing your location, it gives you a list of suggestions such as the last meeting, recently used conference rooms, and also common locations. Once you start to type in the location field, Outlook brings up a list of suggestions that are powered by Bing and then finally completes your location with necessary information including full addresses for public locations.
This Outlook service is even better if you are using an iPhone Operating System because it will use your current location, your destination address, and traffic updates to send you notifications on when you should be ready to leave for your next meeting. This amazing feature will soon be coming to windows.
Meeting Invitation Made Accessible
It is now possible to know who has been invited and who is attending a certain meeting. Outlook allows you to see the tracked responses and RSVPs for meetings that you have been invited to. This way, it is easy for you to decide whether or not to go. Sometimes two meetings may overlap. Someone else in your organization may already be going. You can choose to attend the other meeting and then sync up with your colleague later. This is very important as it makes time management a much easier task.
Time Zone
Outlook has added more features on the Time Zone functionality that will help you plan meetings at optimal times across different time zones. It is now possible to display up to three time zones on your Windows calendar. This way you are able to see what is happening in other locations.
New Features in SharePoint and OneDrive
Several features were launched at the May SharePoint Conference in Las Vegas for both SharePoint and OneDrive. There were new improvements on the built-in scan feature in OneDrive for both iOS and Android mobiles. These are accessed through the dedicated icon in the tab bar. That makes it easy to add images, annotations, and even multiple pages to your OneDrive.
Now it is possible to automatically upload videos and photos captured on your camera roll in upload for Business OneDrive. There is also another great improvement that gives users the ability to require and set a password when you share a folder with other people. This feature basically prevents others from accessing your files if your intended recipient accidentally forwards a link. These new features now give you the ability to stop other users from downloading files or documents shared through the view-only links.
Microsoft SharePoint Spaces
These are basically immersive, mixed reality experiences that enable users to view and interact with content from every angle. In addition, users can visualize and manipulate data and product models in real-time.
The Title Bar
It is now easy to quickly change your current document’s title, open the document’s location, share the document through an invitation link, and even access the document’s version history by simply clicking on the title bar and selecting the functions from a drop-down menu.
Security
Office 365 solutions ensure that you identify and manage personal data such as the prevention of data loss and advanced data governance. The New Office 365 is able to detect and protect against security threats. It helps users comply with the European Union Privacy law recently enforced, the General Data Protection and Regulation (GDPR).
To learn more about these helpful new changes, please visit: The Microsoft Blog.
by Felicien | Jun 20, 2018 | Education
Hackers Discover New Way to Bypass Microsoft’s Office 365 Security Protocols
Hackers have discovered an innovative method of getting those malicious URLs in their emails past Office 365’s security protocols. This was first revealed by Avanan, a company that deals in internet security. Avanan says that cybercriminals are now using a <base> tag in the HTML header employed with a URL to by-pass security and infect a computer with malware.
Officials at Avanan explained further. “At one time, email clients did not support the <base> tag, so every link needed to be an absolute URL. Support for relative URLs in email is a recent development and the behavior is client dependent. Older email clients will ignore the <base> tag, but web-based email clients, recent desktop clients and most mobile apps will now handle the <base> tag and recombine the URL into a clickable link.”
How Microsoft Safe Links work
Office 365’s Advanced Threat Protection provides a feature called “Safe Links” that compares a link found in an email against those on a blacklist. This feature was designed to catch and stop a malicious link. It was working well for all MS products until hackers discovered this workaround.
The new technique has been dubbed “baseStriker” and it’s aimed at those using Microsoft Outlook. Malicious messages can now bypass the filters included in Microsoft products using the <base> tag.
The new baseStriker program splits the malicious URL so that Microsoft’s product, Safe Links, cannot detect that it points to a malicious URL. Safe Links checks the base domain, ignoring the rest, thereby allowing the user to move on to the phishing site. A few security solutions do protect users against these new cyber-threats, including Mimecast and Proofpoint.
As part of Microsoft’s Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection (ATP), Safe Links was designed to provide a strong layer of protection against malicious links embedded in documents and emails. Microsoft diligently updates the software so that it consistently protects against the latest cyber threats. The software works by determining if a link is malicious, then replacing the bad link and alerting the user. Up to now, ATP has been considered state-of-the-art protection against phishing scams.
Microsoft investigation underway
Officials at Microsoft were contacted by Security Week and they issued a brief statement that said, “We encourage customers to practice safe computing habits by avoiding opening links in emails from senders they don’t recognize.” They also said they were investigating the claims about the new hack.
In the meantime, all security experts discourage users from clicking links found in emails—even if they seem to be from a reliable source. Best Practice for internet security is to always navigate to a web page the old-fashioned way. Open a new browser page and type in the web address. Get in the habit of glancing up to the browser line and making sure it says what it should. Periodic security awareness training is also recommended. This is a good way to remind users about the many phishing scams and malware that constantly threaten users.
Other email clients may be vulnerable
The baseStriker hack may be used in other email programs as well. This has caused all email service providers to begin checking to make sure their security protocols are still intact and working as expected. This is a timely reminder to everyone that crooks are constantly searching for any vulnerability they can take advantage of. New types of malware, worms, viruses, and ransomware are developed each year. Experts believe that Gmail, along with a few other email clients already have built-in protection for splitting the URL and will not be at risk.
Better security training for employees
Though all software developers are now working toward shutting down cybercriminals, every type of cyber defense utilizing technology has its weaknesses. The best methods of cybersecurity usually involve training employees about what to look for and remind them often that hackers never take a break from their work.
Second Chance
A new product called Second Chance offers users a way to “roll back” a decision to click a suspicious link. If the user thinks they may have clicked a bad link in a phishing email, now they can stop the process from moving forward. The software checks out any potentially unsafe link the moment you click on it. Then it informs you that you may be navigating to an unsafe website. You can then abort your actions and return to safety. While products like this do help, there are a flood of new worms, ransomware, malware, and phishing scams developed each year by cybercriminals.
Why hackers always seem to be ahead of the game
Many hackers are now backed by governments the size of China or North Korea, so they have unlimited resources to work with. A Newsweek article[1] reports that Chinese hackers have stolen billions of dollars’ worth of secrets and data from businesses and individuals all over the world. Russia and North Korea are in second and third place when it comes to cyber-theft.
The Newsweek article states that Chinese cyber-aggression toward the United States has evolved rapidly over the last few years. Chinese hackers represent a growing threat to world economies due to their disruptive nature. Today’s battlefield is no longer on actual ground using weapons and artillery. The war is being fought online—on the internet where everyone’s data is sometimes exposed to vast criminal enterprises.
[1] http://www.newsweek.com/chinese-hackers-cyberwar-us-cybersecurity-threat-678378
by Felicien | Jun 20, 2018 | Education
Many people usually turn to Microsoft’s online productivity suite, Office 365 because of the apparent breadth and depth of its features, which allow them to accomplish what they are unable to do with other similar products on the market.
However, the business environment is always changing and organizations increasingly put a premium on agility, as staying competitive means being able to do more with less. Time is increasingly more valuable as well. Organizations need technology that requires very little training to reduce onboarding expenses for new employees.
With this understanding, Microsoft is rolling out updates to its Office 365 and the Office.com environment to simplify tasks and take the user experience to a higher level. Once this rollout is complete, users will be able to enjoy a much better experience across Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, as well as Outlook.
While these user experience updates are set to roll out slowly over the next couple of months, many of them are already available for Office.com users to experiment with. Microsoft has deployed new designs to a select customer group. These will be released in phases and carefully tested, so the tech giant can learn as they go.
A user centric approach
According to Microsoft, every change they are making on the user experience is focused on three key things: incorporating customer input, considering the context under which the feature will be best and most easily applied, and giving people control over their experience.
It is actually because of this user-centered approach that Microsoft is rolling out these updates gradually to allow room for incorporating the new feedback they obtain from customers during the process.
Shadow and depth on Office
As you scroll over the items on Office.com, you will notice that they pull forward with shadow and depth. This is because Microsoft is bringing its Fluent Design system to the web and to Office 365.
More importantly, Microsoft has rebuilt Office on a modern platform to be much faster and far more efficient than ever. So you’ll notice that every item you tap, such as a Word document, opens much faster than ever.
Simplified ribbon
Once you open your document, you’ll notice an updated, simplified, and better version of the ribbon. The new ribbon design will help users focus on their work and collaborate with others in a more natural and informal way.
For those who prefer to dedicate more screen space to showing commands, there is the option to expand the ribbon into the classic three-line view. This option will continue to be available to users so that everyone can choose the experience they prefer.
The simplified ribbon is first rolling out on the web version of Word. It will then become available to select consumers on Office.com and to Select Insiders in Outlook for Windows later on in July.
The simplified ribbon will not be available on Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for Windows yet. Microsoft intends to gather enough feedback from a broader set of users before implementing any changes that could disrupt people’s work. Upon rolling out the ribbon on these products however, users will still be able to revert back to the classic version of the ribbon with just a single click.
New animations
As part of the Fluent Design system, the ribbon has been improved with new animations. The user experience is improved with better speed and velocity to improve the overall look and feel. All these have been designed to be inclusive and accessible so that the user experience is streamlined.
New icons and color in the right places
Along with the new animations, users will enjoy a fresh array of new colors and icons. These will help people find the commands they’re looking for more easily. These new features were developed as scalable graphics. They render with precision on any screen size or type.
Users will be able to see the new icons and colors first in the web version of Word for Office.com. Select Insiders will see these new features in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for Windows in late June. The new icons and colors will then roll out to Outlook for Windows in July, and ultimately to Outlook for Mac in August.
Personalized intelligent Search
Microsoft is also rolling out a new personalized, intelligent Search feature across its products. This will provide access to commands, content, and people in a more enhanced manner. This feature makes suggestions on actions you can take, the content you may be looking for, and people that you may want to connect with – all based on your past work patterns. For those who love Office 365 and even for those who may not yet be fans, these new updates promise a world-full of new possibilities.
All you have to do is place your cursor in the search box and all these recommendations powered by machine learning and the Microsoft Graph will show up.
This experience is already available to commercial users in SharePoint Online, Office.com, and the Outlook mobile app. Commercial users of Outlook on the web will also start seeing this experience in action in August.
Wrap up
These updates are a sign of Microsoft’s commitment to making its products more useful to its customers. Against this backdrop, we can expect nothing but the best user experience from these products as the tech giant continues to roll out innovative modifications.
