primarily focusing on how useful it is for hosting and storing data. However, this isn’t the only thing the cloud can do. Cloud technology enables today’s businesses to make use of tools that would ordinarily be out of reach. Yes, its storage capabilities can help make data more accessible to team members who need it, but it can also assist you in preserving your data in case of some disaster, give you access to computing resources that you couldn’t procure yourself, and provide you flexible access to your business applications.
Tech Tip Tuesday:
Don’t Shortchange Email (Business owners)
Email is now the gold standard for business communications, for numerous reasons. While a small business might find it redundant to email an announcement, doing so can prove useful to their operations. For instance, let’s say Mary manages a small office with four or five employees. She could easily just announce an important message to the room, but what if James was at the dentist that day, or Rob had excused himself to the bathroom just before? What if Ellen had just connected for an important phone call?
Email provides an easy way for you to communicate with others in your workplace that ensures everyone gets the message, without disrupting operations too much.
Tech Tip Tuesday:
What to do with Non-Malicious Spam (Junk Email)
Non-malicious spam normally comes in the form of junk marketing emails. If you no longer want to receive this type of communication, take the following steps:
- Delete the email out of your mailbox
- Mark the email as “Junk” in Outlook.
- Unsubscribe form the email list. A link to unsubscribe must be included in marketing emails.
Tech Tip Tuesday:
Risks and Consequences of Not Having a Data Security Policy
Despite the growing number of data breaches, most small and midsized businesses do not have well-established data security policies. The lack of a data security program opens the door to a wide variety of security risks, such as data theft, data tampering and unauthorized access to sensitive information. The impact of a single data breach can be much more devastating and result in huge financial loss. It can also have the following serious consequences:
1. Damage Brand Reputation: A security breach can tarnish your brand’s image and drive away potential customers. Your customers will lose trust and confidence in your company.
2. Disrupt Business Operations: The period of downtime from the moment a security incident occurs, right up to restoration, significantly affects business operations, leading to low productivity, revenue loss and unhappy customers.
3. Legal Implications: Organizations that fall victim to data breaches face serious consequences including fines, legal action and compensation to customers.
4. Loss of Intellectual Property: A data breach not only puts your company and customer information at risk, but you also run the risk of losing patents, blueprints and other certifications.
Tech Tip Tuesday:
Adopt Technology Solutions
Regardless of your industry, who your business serves, or even where you operate, there are some universal changes that technology has brought to how the average small-to-medium-sized business functions. Methods of collaboration have shifted to digital formats, “coming to work” is no longer a prerequisite to working, and the filing cabinet has been rendered woefully obsolete by other, better options. Cloud solutions are a major contributor to this. I want you to take a moment and consider something: why were any of these changes made in the first place?
It is for the same reason that the assembly line process was adopted, or why we cook our food before eating it: it provides greater benefits than the old way. It is the same with business technology, and you will see this as a common theme throughout these tips. Don’t disqualify yourself from competing by removing your ability to do so.
Tech Tip Tuesday:
Managing Spam in Outlook
Outlook has an array of tools for combating spam. Utilizing these tools is key to keeping your mailbox spam free
- Junk: The Junk folder is the default spam destination. Non-malicious spam and other marketing emails can be moved the junk folder. Sometimes emails are improperly labeled as junk and accidentally sent to the junk folder. It’s a good idea to review your spam mailbox periodically.
- Flag: Emails can be flagged as either “junk” or “spam”. After an email is flagged, it is automatically transferred to the junk folder
- Block Sender: Suspicious or unknown senders can be blocked. In the Outlook menu bar select Message > Junk Mail > Block sender. Outlook will then add the sender’s email to the “block sender” list.
Tech Tip Tuesday:
- Share Content On The Go With Teams Mobile
- At the bottom of the meeting screen, click the ellipsis (…)
- Click Share
- Select PowerPoint, Video, File or Screen
- Select the file and start presenting
Tech Tip Tuesday:
How to Spot Spam
- The sender’s address isn’t correct. If it’s a legitimate email the sender’s address should match the domain for the company they claim to represent. In other words, emails from PayPal always come from example@paypal.com and emails from Microsoft always come from example@microsoft.com.
- The sender doesn’t seem to actually know who you are. Legitimate emails from companies and people you know will be addressed to you by name. Phishing emails often use generic salutations like “customer” or “friend.”
- Embedded links have unusual URLs. Vet the URL before clicking by hovering over it with your cursor. If the link looks suspicious, navigate to the website directly via your browser. Same for any call-to-action buttons. Hover over them with your mouse before clicking. If you’re on a mobile device, navigate to the site directly or via the dedicated app. Text message spam often includes links to spoofed sites designed to capture your login.
- Typos, bad grammar, and unusual syntax. Does it look like the email was translated back and forth through Google Translate several times? If so, it probably was.
- The email is too good to be true. Advance-fee scams work because they offer a huge reward in exchange for very little work. But if you take some time to actually think about the email, the content is beyond reason.
- There are attachments. In the world of email communication and marketing, attachments are a big no-no, and businesses generally don’t send emails with attachments.
Tech Tip Tuesday:
Improve device security (Cell Phone)
You probably set up some kind of fingerprint ID or PIN code when you first set up your device, but that screen lock protection isn’t much use if someone manages to grab or access your phone before the lock is enabled—and that’s why you should pay attention to what your screen timeout window is (the number of seconds your phone waits without any screen input before locking the device).
Tech Tip Tuesday:
Give your eyes a rest (Cell Phone)
Blue light produced by the screens of our gadgets has been linked to reducing the quality of our sleep, so it’s probably not a good idea to watch hours of YouTube before bed. If you must check your phone late at night, you can at least change the display temperature so less blue light gets emitted.
