by Felicien | Feb 25, 2020 | Education
Metadata Gives You Control of Disorganized Online Filing Systems
SharePoint gives you a simple solution to keep your online files organized, using metadata to create customized ways to sort and find the information you need.
It’s an all-too-common occurrence. You need to send a business file to a colleague or client. You hesitantly open your file manager window and shudder. Soon, you’re navigating through generations of file folder structures, organizational schemes, and naming conventions that have long been abandoned. An hour later, having spent far too long hunting for the file in question, you find the desired info and can attach it to your email.
Keeping business information organized is not easy. Files, folders, names, and systems come and go, often discarded in a digital graveyard.
Fortunately, there’s a standard Microsoft tool to help you keep information organized.
Can I Use SharePoint to Organize Data?
SharePoint is a popular app included in Office 365 and other enterprise versions of the popular productivity suite. In SharePoint, which is essentially a digital document library, you can file documents, create folders, and share with internal and external teammates. It also can use key organizing features to help reduce the chaos in your filing.
The key is metadata. Nearly every file you use has metadata associated with it. Think about some of the common attributes you know about files — file name, creation date, file size, and file type are just a few.
Whenever you change the name of a file, for example, you change its metadata.
The beauty with SharePoint is that you can easily create new metadata categories and use tools to add details. Once the details are entered, you can search and filter on the new metadata to quickly find what you need.
How Can I Use SharePoint Metadata to Organize Work Files?
Here is a step-by-step guide to using SharePoint metadata for file organization. For the purposes of this example, let’s pretend we’re trying to organize social media messages for a marketing campaign. We are going to launch the campaign on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and use video, text, and image files.
Step 1: Find the Files
Start by navigating within SharePoint to the library or document list that contains the files you want to organize. Be sure that you are the site owner to access the tools that allow for customized metadata.
Step 2: Build the Categories
Each new category of metadata will become another column within the document list. Select “Add Column” and give it a name. In our example, our first new column will be “Platform.”
When you create a new column, you can select its type. Among the options are Single line of text, Multiple lines of text, Number, Yes/No, Person, Date, Choice, Hyperlink, and Picture. For our example, we’d probably select Choice and add in the social media platforms.
We can add a second new column for “Media Type” and again choose Choice and enter in Video, Text, and Image as options. If we wanted, we could add a third new column, call it “Completed” and make it a Yes/No type.
Step 3: Apply the Metadata
In our list of social media posts, we can now apply new metadata tags for Platform, Media Type, and Completed. SharePoint has a great feature called Quick Edit that lets you apply metadata to all the documents in a list. You can run through each library option and apply, for example, which items are video entries, which are for Facebook and which are still in progress.
While it can be a bit tedious to go through an existing list of documents, in the long run, the work will pay off handsomely.
Step 4: Filter to Find
The metadata tags allow you to filter on any of the columns (just like a click on the Name column can give you an alphabetized list). Want to see what creatives are ready for each platform? Click on that column heading to see a sortable list. The same goes for looking at posts by type or completion status.
SharePoint is a powerful way to keep your documents organized and searchable in different ways.
by Felicien | Feb 25, 2020 | Education
Watch Out for These Bad Cybersecurity Practices in Your MSP
How good is your MSP at providing security for your business? Watch out for these potentially harmful cybersecurity practices in your managed service provider.
In a recent speech, Kyle Ardoin, the Louisiana Secretary of State, railed against managed service providers in the state for not doing enough to prevent cybercrimes such as ransomware attacks.
Like many other states in the Union, Louisiana has been walloped with such crimes. Numerous government offices and school districts have been affected, as have businesses and organizations in a breadth of industries. Ardoin stressed the fact that times are certainly changing where cybersecurity is concerned, and new types of crimes pop up every day. Still, he said, MSPs are the main party to blame, and he listed several bad MSP practices that have ultimately led to the recent rash of hacks and data breaches.
Whether you own a small business, manage a large enterprise, or work in a government office, it’s vital that your managed service provider not be doing any of these practices. As Ardoin appropriately stressed, “As attacks grow more sophisticated, many MSPs have not been upfront with their clients about the need to invest more in security. This leads to serious problems for their clients, and the MSPs themselves.”
Think about the managed service provider that you are currently working with. If they are doing any of the following, speak to them about remedying the issue, or seriously consider looking for a new MSP to work with.
What Are the Top Bad Practices MSPs Do?
1. Using outdated technology
While system patching, firewalls, and antivirus software were enough to protect most businesses in the past, today, these preventive measures simply don’t cut it. Newer, better solutions are out there.
2. Not implementing enough authentication features
Password and credential leaks are the number one way that hackers infiltrate systems. Ensure your MSP is enforcing two-step authentication and password-free authentication (biometric verifications, such as face recognition or fingerprinting) wherever possible.
3. Not staying up-to-date on the latest types of attacks
MSPs need to keep current with the increasingly sophisticated attacks that hackers are fighting with. Their techniques and goals are ever-changing, and it’s not up to you, the client, to know how these criminals are attempting to infiltrate your systems. That’s what you pay your MSP to do.
4. Not providing security training for your employees
Again, employee password and credential hacking is a top way that hackers infiltrate their targets. Likewise, phishing scams are another type of attack that directly affects employees. For this reason, it only makes sense that much of your cybersecurity plan needs to include training your employees. This is a service that your MSP should provide.
5. Not being upfront with you about cybersecurity dangers
It’s not uncommon for an MSP to understand the threats to their clients (you), but to be afraid or timid about asking you to invest more in your protection. This shouldn’t be a factor in their service. Instead, they must be upfront with you about the threats you’re up against and what you must do together to prevent a breach.
Should You Consider Working With an MSSP Over an MSP?
Ardoin was serious about the problems plaguing current MSP practices around Louisiana and the rest of the country. His solution was to recommend that more businesses, organizations, and government offices turn to MSSPs over MSPs.
The core difference between the two is that MSSPs are primarily focused on security instead of being an overarching provider of all things IT as MSPs are. MSSP stands for managed security service provider while MSP stands only for managed service provider.
If you are unhappy with your current managed services, speak with your MSP about the issue, or begin looking for either an MSSP or another MSP who will be better equipped to handle the cybersecurity challenges of today.
by Felicien | Feb 19, 2020 | Education
Ransomware is a form of malware that encrypts your files and demands a ransom payment in exchange for the decryption key. I put together a video that explains how it works and how to stay safe. Take a look and let me know your thoughts…
Watch the video below or click this link to view on YouTube.
Questions? Call me anytime!
by Felicien | Feb 16, 2020 | Education
The 7 PC Myths Draining Your Business Technology Budget
Evaluating your business technology budget? These 7 PC myths could be costing you a lot of money. From slow computers to hacker vulnerability, see how to fix it.
Think you’re saving money by keeping those old PCs running in the office? Think again. An Intel study found that using a business PC that’s older than five years costs the business nearly $700 a year in repair and maintenance costs alone. What other costly PC myths are draining your technology budget?
Myth #1: A Slow Computer Has a Virus
Slow computers are productivity killers. If you have slow PCs, studies show that the average employee loses 40 min/day due to downtime.
That’s on top of 29% reduced productivity due to slower processing.
For many years, office workers have proclaimed, “it’s got a virus”. But the truth is there are many reasons that computers slow down over time. And your technology solutions partner will have many troubleshooting techniques in their tool belt to speed up slow work stations.
So if the virus scanner turns up nothing, know that you have options. Here are just a few things you can try:
Clearing caches and history
Rebooting if you haven’t rebooted for a few days
Closing programs and re-opening (not a good long-term solution)
Reducing the number of start-up programs
Checking for conflicting malware protectors
Myth #2: Macs Don’t Get Viruses
Who knows where this one started? Probably Apple or Apple enthusiasts trying to get a foothold in the business computer market. Truth, Macs are just as susceptible to malware. Whether you’re a Mac business or a PC business, you need a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy.
Myth #3: Letting Your Battery Run Down Before Charging to Extend Battery Life
This was true on older devices. Leaving a laptop docked on a charger would kill the battery life.
But if you have business laptops, tablets and phones that are less than five years old, this is no longer the case. Devices with lithium-ion batteries do not suffer this fate. On top of that, Microsoft, Apple and Android now use machine learning to track your charging habits and avoid straining the battery.
Myth #4: Our Business Is Too Small to Be Targeted by Hackers
Actually, over 50% of cyberattacks happen to small businesses. They’re often less prepared. And they may be complacent, thinking what are the chances they’d attack us?
Most cyber attackers don’t go for the big score. Instead, it’s more efficient to go for the least protected. Attacking 10 poorly protected small businesses versus one better protected medium-sized business will yield a higher ROI for the hackers.
That’s smart business!
Myth #5: Consumer PCs and Business PCs Are Interchangeable
This is especially untrue now. With so many people doing most of their computing on their phones, home computers haven’t needed to advance much beyond the technology of 10-15 years ago.
Instead, manufacturers have focused on the business market, where businesses demand faster processing and greater capabilities. For this reason, the fact is, if you’re buying PCs for business, make sure they can handle business computing.
Myth #6: RAM Is All That Matters
RAM, random access memory, is important for speed. More RAM means less buffering (traffic jams). But a computer is a lot more than RAM. It has an advanced CPU (processor) that uses that RAM most efficiently.
Otherwise, your computer is just a lot of muscle without the brains to use that muscle wisely.
Myth #7: No Need to Replace Computers that Still Work
We already mentioned how much time employees waste on slow computers. That payroll waste and downtime isn’t the only thing you need to worry about when trying to use computers beyond their shelf life of up to five years.
Older computers are also more susceptible to viruses. Eventually, they can’t support current operating systems. Microsoft stops supporting older OS after a while, leaving them open to attacks.
Newer operating systems often also have better productivity tools that streamline business operations. And they’ll work more effectively with new programs you want to install. A technology solutions professional can help you weigh the cost-benefits of getting new PCs.
And for more business technology management tips, follow our blog.
by Felicien | Feb 12, 2020 | Education
Bolster Cybersecurity Readiness with Strategic Investments
Protecting your organization from cybercriminals is gaining complexity and requiring more resources than ever before. Do your leaders understand the implications of a lack of cybersecurity funding?
Every day, your organization’s digital assets are under attack from cyber criminals around the world. Many of these individuals will never even know the name of your corporation — they are simply attacking at random and hoping that their wide net will haul in big treasure. Other hackers are laser-focused on bringing down your company, looking up unique details about your officers on LinkedIn and other social media platforms while testing the waters with small breaches to determine access available access levels. Safeguarding your innovation and valuable customer data may come down to your organization’s ability to strategically invest in the right cybersecurity tools . . . and gaining the support of knowledgeable individuals that are continually enhancing their knowledge of security procedures. See how these strategic investments in the future may be all that stands between your business and the devastation that can occur during and after a cyberattack.
Helping Executives Navigate the Cybersecurity Landscape
Perhaps one of the largest challenges facing IT leaders is helping executives across the organization understand the dangers inherent with a lack of cybersecurity without requiring deep levels of technical knowledge. When technical professionals become passionate about a particular topic, bringing the focus back to the business impact can be difficult. Creating a direct correlation between specific cybersecurity incidents and corporate results provides a method of framing the conversation that helps ensure IT receives the necessary funding for strategic investments in cybersecurity. Helping translate the results of cybersecurity spending into real terms allows this type of project to be weighed objectively against other strategic initiatives under consideration for the same budget dollars.
Aligning Resource Allocation with Cybersecurity Realities
How many individuals do you have focused solely on cybersecurity within your organization? One? Ten? None? Whatever the number, it is unlikely to be enough to handle the response needed in the event of an attack. Even an all-hands-on-deck effort by all your technicians and engineers will require scaling up and education before these individuals can be effective at staving off the aftereffects of a massive attack. Working with IT managed services providers to create a holistic approach to cybersecurity not only provides access to advanced tools but also offers a more expansive skill set in terms of cybersecurity. Making an early investment in prevention includes everything from active monitoring to web-based content filtering, all activities aimed at reducing the possibility of an attack — and limiting the negative impact to your organization in the event of an incident. When you align internal resources around managing external cybersecurity assets as opposed to attempting to build that internal infrastructure, you are gaining flexibility and scalability that would be extremely difficult to grow organically in an affordable fashion.
Creating a Culture of Cybersecurity Awareness
As you’re sharing this information with senior leadership, one important topic to consider is how to create a culture of cybersecurity awareness. Each time your employees open an email, navigate to a website or fill out a form online is a potential danger to your organization, but are staff aware of the risks they are taking on a daily basis? A strategic investment in training and ongoing education could be the detail that stops a wayward employee from inadvertently providing information to hackers, allowing them to infiltrate your cybersecurity net. A recent study by The Aberdeen Group found that you can reduce the risk of socially engineered cyber threats by up to 70% when you launch an aggressive cybersecurity awareness training that includes a component of ongoing education.
Investing in cybersecurity protection requires an ongoing commitment from senior leadership and a firm focus on the benefits of this investment from technology directors without bogging executives down with the technical details of individual tactics. From advanced cybersecurity tools to active defense and training solutions, finding partners that are able to provide cohesive strategies to protect your organization is going to be an integral component of your success in the security realm.
by Felicien | Feb 6, 2020 | Education
Modern Phishing Email and Article Headlines That Even Fool Savvy Tech Professionals
Learn more about the kind of email phishing headlines that end up fooling the smartest tech professionals, and how you can better protect your business.
Any tech professional worth their salt understands the damage wrought by unsuspecting users clicking on links inside “phishing” emails. It’s not surprising when tech-challenged individuals end up getting sucked in by today’s social engineering attempts. However, some of the headlines used by hackers manage to fool a lot of experienced IT pros.
Emails aren’t the only place where tech professionals show their vulnerability. Messaging portals in spaces like Facebook and LinkedIn have become prime targets for scammers, especially as traditional email providers step up their protections. In fact, both platforms had the highest success rate for phishing scams when they were included in an email subject line at 28 percent and 55 percent, respectively.
How Do Experienced Tech Professionals End Up Getting Fooled?
It’s hard to imagine how the people charged with keeping company systems safe end up ensnared in these schemes. Security-minded individuals become so comfortable in their knowledge of suspicious emails and technology in general that it makes them less careful. They’re prone to quickly scanning and clicking emails and messages without absorbing the information. It’s already too late by the time they realize their error in judgment.
What Makes a Phishing Headline Successful?
Phishing email headers that include words like “Request,” “Follow-Up,” and “Urgent/Important” tend to have a higher click rate, especially if it seems they come from a colleague or high-level executive. Victims often feel compelled to respond quickly out of fear of not delivering on job expectations. They also worry about costing the company money by failing to follow through on requests related to finance and payments.
The manipulation of that social element can have the same effect on tech workers. They’re more likely to respond quickly to a request that seems to come from a company vice-president. No one wants to be the person preventing them from getting back to company business.
Let’s look at some of the headlines used to fool regular users and IT professionals.
Requests for password changes
Deactivation of Microsoft Office email service
Setting up employee raises for HR
Document sharing using a secure server
Lack of internet service due to scheduled server maintenance.
Address needed for FedEx delivery
Locked company twitter account
Complete steps for Google service
Error with Coinbase
Closed company bank account
How Can Businesses Upgrade Their Current Phishing Protections?
There’s no one step a business can take to prevent someone from falling for a phishing scam. It pays to use a multi-pronged approach to blocking and dealing with suspicious emails and websites targeting company workers.
Tools like SPAM filters, mock phishing practice scenarios, and web filters to block malicious websites should be a priority. It also pays to encrypt sensitive company information, making it harder for employees to share the data with anyone. That goes double for telecommuters who must log into company systems remotely from different devices.
Businesses should initiate company-wide security initiatives and enforce them consistently. Make sure IT employees understand that their knowledge doesn’t leave them immune to these types of attacks.
