Battle of the mobile OS: Android vs. iOS
It normally takes you hours of watching phone reviews on YouTube to decide which model or brand to buy. And for your business, you assume that it’s pretty straightforward since your team will use it only for client communication. But with the multitude of efficient apps available for remote working nowadays, that is not the case anymore. Determine which mobile operating system (OS) is ideal for business use. Price Range Apple is a luxury brand, and the only way budget-conscious businesses can afford an iPhone is if they consider secondhand market or rely on older models. But of course, you would rather get a new phone that hasn’t been through previous repairs, carrying recurring problems, and one that isn’t outdated for app compatibility. Android is widely available for small-business rates and obviously triumphs in this category. Winner: Android phone Security Surely, there is a reason why iPhones cost so much. Apple products in general are known for their exquisite form and finish, which definitely adds to the cost, but don’t forget that Apple also places much emphasis on security. For instance, Apple is more strict about the apps it allows into the App Store when compared with Android. Nevertheless, both are still susceptible to malware, so try to be more cautious when downloading dodgy apps or programs. Winner: iPhone Customizability Android has always been superior when it comes to personalization. You can easily change the theme of the phone, modify home screen layout, add shortcuts and widgets, and even alter the user interface using launchers. With an iPhone, you may have the freedom to set backgrounds but there’s still restricted support for widgets. And as mentioned before, Android is more lax in allowing third-party installations for your default options. So if you think your company would benefit more from a personalized look, Android is the platform for you. Winner: Android phone Voice Assistants Siri may have wowed the public when it was first introduced, but Google Assistant has stayed true to its name as it progressed. The former remained basic by simply answering questions while the latter introduced several features, including seamless integration with other apps to make your life more convenient. For instance, if you have a meeting set in Google Calendar and Google Maps received a notification about the growing traffic in the area, Google Assistant will calculate the time it takes for you to get there and alert you beforehand. Fortunately for iPhone users, this virtual helper is also available on the App Store. Guess we can conclude that it’s a win-win for both mobile OS, then. Winner: Android and iPhone! Ultimately, the perfect phone for your business depends on your particular requirements. Both Android and iPhone devices have their own set of benefits and drawbacks, which is why it all boils down to which of the aspects listed above would help boost your business. But if you’re still confused between these two choices, just give one of our licensed technicians a call! We’ll conduct a free assessment of your IT framework to provide unbiased suggestions. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
Why fewer teenagers choose Facebook
Facebook’s 13-to-17-year-old users are declining despite the overall growth of the social media giant’s subscribers. A new survey by Pew Research Center found that only 51% of US teens are using Facebook, compared with Snapchat (69%), Instagram (72%), and YouTube (85%). Reasons for user demographic shift The same survey found that only 10% of US teens use Facebook most frequently, unlike other platforms like Instagram (15%), YouTube (32%), and Snapchat (35%). There are two main reasons why Facebook is no longer the first social media choice for US teenagers: visual content and control. #1. Visual Content The current youth demographic group favors visually appealing posts. As a result, teens prefer platforms like Instagram and Snapchat that allow them to beautify their photos and instantly share them with their friends. This is unlike Facebook where users can only upload, share, read, and like curated posts, which is deemed “uncool” by teenagers. #2. Control Youngsters are known to be highly expressive, but this is impossible to do if they’re friends with their mom, dad, or other adults on social media. Snapchat and Instagram solve this by allowing teens to control who’s able to see their posts. What’s more, Snapchat and Instagram stories allow users to send time-limited messages. Unlike regular Instagram posts, Instagram stories allow users to share images or videos on their app immediately. These images and videos will then be removed from the platform after 24 hours, similar to how Snapchat works. These two features mean users can upload more “adult-oriented” posts without worrying that their parents will see them. Users can also get peace of mind knowing their uploaded photos or videos will be removed from the app after a period of time (usually 24 hours). The next steps for SMB marketing It’s crucial for small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) that have a limited marketing budget to understand which platforms reach which demographics. For example, SMBs targeting customers aged 13 to 17 years should rethink their marketing strategies if they’ve invested mainly in Facebook ads. They should consider reallocating their advertising funds to Snapchat, Instagram, or YouTube where their target customers are most active. Is this the end for Facebook ads? This doesn’t mean companies that have invested in Facebook marketing won’t see any more benefits. The survey discovered that 70% of US teens from lower-income households use Facebook, a much higher figure than those from middle income families or wealthy families. But if you do decide to move your Facebook ad spending to other platforms, keep in mind the different preferences based on gender. More girls (42%) identified Snapchat as their go-to platform compared with boys (29%). On the other hand, more boys (39%) identified YouTube as the platform they used most frequently compared with girls (25%). It is highly recommended that businesses of any size use more than one type of marketing channel to attract customers. Not only will your company’s search engine rankings increase naturally, but having more than one approach can also help you reach more of your target demographics and compete better with similar companies. We help SMBs make the best of their marketing funds by tailoring marketing strategies that reach the most teenagers, so if you’re interested in social media marketing, send us a message today. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
Virtualization isn’t as complex as you think
Explaining the concept of virtualization is no easy task, and failed attempts to do so have left it with an undeserved reputation. We want to set the record straight about this technology’s many benefits by dispelling the four most common misconceptions. Myth #1 – Virtualization is too expensive for SMBs Many people assume that the more advanced an IT solution is, the more expensive it is to install and maintain. That’s not the case for virtualization, which is a strategy to boost hardware efficiency and cut costs. Sure, a virtual server requires more support than a traditional one, but the capacity boost means you won’t need to purchase a second server for a long time — resulting in a net reduction of hardware and IT support expenses. Furthermore, managed virtualization services usually follow a pay-as-you-go model that costs just a few bucks per hour. Myth #2 – Virtualization adds workplace complexity Most people feel comfortable with the traditional computing model — one set of hardware equals one computer — but that doesn’t mean a new model has to be more complicated. With virtualization, one “traditional” computer can run as two or more virtual computers. The technical aspects of how that’s accomplished may be confusing, but the good thing is business owners don’t need to bother with those details. Virtualization actually reduces complexity because it allows business owners to expand their IT systems whenever necessary without having to worry about hardware limitations. Myth #3 – Support is hard to come by or inconvenient You may be more familiar with The Cloud than with virtualization, but that doesn’t mean the latter is a niche technology. The value of the virtualization market in 2016 was $5.6 billion and supported by IT providers all over the country. It’s also a technology that works well with remote support, which means technicians can install upgrades or resolve issues without having to travel to your office. Myth #4 – Software licensing is more difficult There’s a misconception that if your server is running three virtual Windows 10 computers, you’ll have to jump through extra licensing hoops. In reality, virtualization follows the same licensing rules as traditional computing: one desktop, one license, which means you won’t need to rethink your software budget. It’s natural for new technologies to cause confusion, and virtualization does require a new way of thinking about IT hardware. But as long as you have certified technicians like ours on hand, everything will run smoothly. Give us a call today to find out how we can lower your hardware costs and simplify your IT support. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
Why VoIP is best with remote workers
More and more Americans are working out of the office than ever before. A Gallup poll revealed that since 1996, the number of remote workers increased fourfold, with 37 percent of Americans working from their homes, coffee shops, or coworking spaces. Remote working is changing the set-up of the workplace, and it’s easy to see why. The appeal of working remote The perks of telecommuting, or working remotely, go beyond wearing your jammies while doing your job. Employees are unbound by time and space, so talent can come from anywhere. They don’t have to beat the traffic during rush hour since they can work in the comforts of their home or any place of their choice. Less stress and favorable working conditions help increase employees’ morale. But there are challenges to having workers physically apart. It’s not as easy to turn to a colleague to consult when he or she is across town. Meetings can be tedious to set up, and correspondences via email lose their immediacy. And there’s more possibility of miscommunication when you cannot see the other person’s body language. VoIP as a must-have tool for telecommuting For remote working to work, an effective and reliable system of communication is necessary. That’s why companies turn to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology. VoIP is a telephony system that uses the Internet to transmit data. So VoIP systems can transmit a variety of data aside from audio — video, photo, file, etc. The more popular examples of applications using VoIP technology are Whatsapp, Facebook Video and Voice Chat, Skype, and Google Phone, to name a few. VoIP systems make telecommuting viable. It allows remote workers to connect to one another in real time, at any time. Communication lines aren’t limited to audio; video calls bring remote workers face to face with one another. They can send files back and forth at the speed of a click, leave comments, or edit each other’s work with ease. One of the best things about VoIP systems is that they’re very affordable. Whether audio or video, so long as it’s sent through the Internet, it’s free. And because VoIP systems have flexible and changeable structures, it’s easy to expand or downsize as needed. Getting the best out of VoIP Here are a few ways remote workers can make the most out of their VoIP systems: Use a hosted VoIP system. The system is hosted in the cloud, usually maintained by a third-party provider. Being in the cloud means easier access for remote workers from different locations. Having an outsourced provider is more convenient because they have the experience and expertise to ensure the VoIP system is always in tip-top shape. Choose one with mobile app. This allows greater mobility for remote workers, as they do not always need to be in front of their desktops. And the more mobile your workers, the more agile your company. Get one that uses a VPN connection. A virtual private network (VPN) allows different computers to connect safely and securely via the Internet. Remote workers can send and share data without fear of cyberattackers even when they are using public WiFi networks such as those in coffee shops, malls, and hotels. The flexibility of VoIP systems means one can be customized for you. If you need a VoIP telephony system that’s just right for your needs, call us today. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
Flash to be stopped in Office 365
If you are one of the few Office 365 users who embeds Silverlight, Shockwave, or Flash content in your documents, your pastime will soon be a thing of the past. Over a week ago, Microsoft announced that Office 365 would completely block said media by January 2019. Microsoft recently announced plans to eventually stop the activation of Silverlight, Shockwave, and Flash content in Office 365. This is not just the developers disabling bugs with an option to click a link or button to look at content. Within a few months’ time, Flash will be gone from Office 365 for good. What media will be affected once this is implemented? Microsoft Silverlight and Adobe Flash or Shockwave content that uses Microsoft’s OLE (Object Linking and Embedding) platform and the “Insert Object” feature will be blocked. However, media that uses the “Insert Online Video” control via an Internet Explorer browser frame will not be affected by this change. The following timeline shows the various changes that will take full effect by January 2019: Controls in the Office 365 Monthly Channel will be blocked beginning June 2018. Controls in the Office 365 Semi-Annual Targeted (SAT) Channel will be blocked beginning September 2018. Controls in the Office 365 Semi-Annual Channel will be blocked beginning January 2019. Why did the developers choose to take out the embedded content? Microsoft pointed out various reasons for making their decision. It cited that malware authors have been exploiting systems through Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files with embedded content, and that most Office 365 users did not use or rarely use the controls anyway. Aside from this, the developers at Microsoft decided to take action after Adobe announced that Flash would reach its end-of-life cycle by 2020. Silverlight was discontinued in 2016, where enterprise customers would have support for the medium until 2021. For businesses that still need to look at or embed Silverlight- or Flash-based content in an Office 365 document, Microsoft has provided a support page to guide users on re-activating the controls. As more websites are transitioning away from Flash in favor of HTML5, Microsoft’s once-popular platform has experienced a steady decline over the years. According to Google, Chrome users who loaded a single web page per day that has Flash media had gone down from an estimated 80% during 2014 to below 8% in early 2018. For more information about utilizing Office 365 features and other IT related concerns, feel free to get in touch with us today! Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
Little-known Windows 10 tips and tricks
Are you making the most out of your Windows 10 computer? If you haven’t tried adjusting system and battery performance, silenced notifications, or used the night light function, then you’re missing out on minor but useful features. Performance/Power slider There are two kinds of computer users: those who value battery longevity and those who prefer optimized system performance. The Performance/Power slider in Windows 10 lets you easily toggle between the ‘Best battery life’ (when you’re trying to save battery) and the ‘Best performance’ (when you need your system to perform optimally), or set a balanced battery and system performance setting. Just click the battery icon in the taskbar and adjust the slider based on your preference. Night Light Those who use computers late at night can turn on Night Light to reduce the amount of blue light emitted from the screen. This feature substitutes the blue light with warmer colors, which reduces eye strain and helps you sleep easily. Night Light is disabled by default, so you need to enable it by following these steps: Click the Start Menu Click the Settings app (or press WIN + I to quickly open Settings) Click the System icon>Display Set Night light to ‘On’ or ‘Off’ Taskbar pin It takes only a few seconds to open a browser and type a website’s address or click Bookmarks and choose from a list of websites you frequently visit. But Windows 10 offers an even quicker way to access your go-to sites by allowing you to pin websites on the Windows 10 taskbar. Simply click “Pin this page to the taskbar” on the Microsoft Edge menu, and the site’s icon will appear on the taskbar for easy perusal. Drag to pin windows Need to organize your screen but can’t help having many open windows? Reduce screen clutter by dragging any window to a corner so it can take a quarter of the screen. For multiple screens, drag a window to any border and wait for the prompt that tells you to put the window in the selected corner. Focus Assist Notifications can be distracting, but Windows 10’s Focus Assist feature can manage the notifications you receive from contacts and applications. This function also lets you customize the list of notifications you wish to prioritize. To enable Focus Assist, go to: Settings System Focus Assist Adjust the notifications settings based on your preference If you wish to disable it and receive all notifications, click ‘Off.’ The features we’ve included here are just some of the many Windows 10 functions that save time and add value to business-users’ lives. For more software and productivity recommendations, give our IT consultants a call today. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
How to defend against insider threats
First off, what is an insider threat in healthcare? An insider threat is an individual inside an organization discovered to have been accessing healthcare records without authorization. Healthcare companies must take steps to reduce the potential for insider threats, which is their top source of security incidents. #1 Educate – The workforce (meaning all healthcare employees) must be educated on allowable uses and disclosures of protected health information (PHI) and the risk associated with certain behaviors, patient privacy, and data security. For example, when a celebrity is admitted to hospital, employees may be tempted, just out of curiosity, to sneak a look at their medical records, so this must be emphasized as a definite no-no. #2 Deter – Policies must be developed to reduce risk and those policies must be strictly enforced. The repercussions of HIPAA violations and privacy breaches should be clearly explained to employees. They can be penalized huge amounts of money and violations can also carry criminal charges that can result in jail time. #3 Detect – Healthcare organizations should implement technology to identify breaches rapidly and user-access logs should be checked regularly. Organizations need to have a strong audit process and ensure that they are regularly monitoring and updating access controls so only authorized personnel are looking at sensitive patient data, and that attempts by unauthorized personnel don’t go unpunished. #4 Investigate – When potential privacy and security breaches are detected, they must be investigated promptly to limit the damages. When the cause of the breach is identified, steps should be taken to prevent recurrence. #5 Train – Healthcare employees must undergo regular comprehensive training so employers can eliminate insider threats. From a privacy standpoint, training and education often start with the employees themselves; they learn all about data privacy right off the bat, from the first day of orientation. Still, organizations must remain vigilant and ensure that they are properly prioritizing privacy and security as cybersecurity threats continue to evolve. Healthcare organizations’ IT departments should send out different tips covering a variety of topics regularly throughout the year. And to keep these tips top-of-mind among employees, IT departments should send them via a variety of media, including emails, printed newsletters, and even memos. Is your healthcare data secure? What other steps can you take to ensure protection for your healthcare provider from insider threats? Call today for a quick chat with one of our experts for more information. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
Malware hits 500k IoT devices, Talos reports
A week ago, leading cyber threat intelligence team Cisco Talos reported that no less than 500,000 IoT devices in up to 54 countries were infected by new malware called VPNFilter. An earlier version, believed to be launched by a nation-state, targeted Ukraine. How VPNFilter Works Talos cited the vulnerable devices as Linksys, MikroTik, Netgear, and TP-Link networking equipment, as well as network-attached storage (NAS). Upon infecting a small office home office (SOHO) router, VPNFilter deploys in three stages. In stage 1, the malware imposes its presence by using multiple command-and-control (C2) infrastructure to capture the IP address of the existing stage 2 deployment server. This makes VPNFilter so robust that it can deal with any unpredictable changes in C2. This stage of the malware persists through a reboot, which makes preventing reinfection tough in stage 2. Stage 2 involves deploying modules capable of command execution, and data collection and exfiltration. According to the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), this can be used for intelligence gathering, information theft, and destructive or disruptive attacks. Moreover, stage 2 malware has a “self-destruct” feature that once activated by the hackers will overwrite a critical area of the device’s firmware so it stops functioning. This can happen on almost every infected device. In Stage 3, a module with packet-sniffing capabilities is added to enable monitoring of internet traffic and theft of website credentials. And yet another module is installed to deploy communication support for the Tor network, which can make communicating with the C2 infrastructure harder. Taking Action According to Talos, the likelihood of the attack being state-sponsored is high, something the DOJ later backed up. The DOJ attributed it to a group of actors called Sofacy (also known as APT28 and Fancy Bear), the Kremlin-linked threat group believed to be responsible for hacking the Democratic National Committee computer network two years ago. On the night of May 23, the FBI announced that they have seized a domain which is part of VPNFilter’s C2 infrastructure used to escalate the malware’s effects. This forces attackers to utilize more labor-intensive ways of reinfecting devices following a reboot. With the seizure, the government has taken a crucial step in mitigating VPNFilter’s impact. Stopping the Malware Researchers agree that VPNfilter is hard to prevent. While vulnerability has been established, patching routers isn’t easy, something average users might not be able to do on their own. But as with any malware, the impact of VPNFilter can be mitigated, which is done by terminating the C2 infrastructure used. To minimize exposure, the FBI recommends all SOHO routers be rebooted, which, according to a statement from the DOJ, will help the government remediate the infection worldwide. The justice department, along with the FBI and other agencies vowed to intensify efforts in disrupting the threat and expose the perpetrators. For their part, Talos offers the following recommendations: Users of SOHO routers and/or NAS devices must reset them to factory defaults and reboot them in order to remove the potentially destructive, non-persistent stage 2 and stage 3 malware. Internet service providers that provide SOHO routers to their users should reboot the routers on their customers’ behalf. If you have any of the devices known or suspected to be affected by this threat, it is extremely important that you work with the manufacturer to ensure that your device is up to date with the latest patch versions. If not, you should apply the updated patches immediately. ISPs will work aggressively with their customers to ensure their devices are patched to the most recent firmware/software versions. Combat the VPNFilter malware by rebooting affected devices. For more tips, contact our team. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
“Black Dot of Death” locks iOS messaging app
People who use iPhones, iPads, and Macs are at risk of encountering a Unicode attack that can cause the messaging app to crash and lock up the device. The good news is a workaround has been found which can restore the state of said Apple products. What is going on? A bug, known as “Black Dot,” is locking the messaging app on Apple devices running iOS 11.3 and 11.4 beta with Apple TVs and Apple Watches also at risk. Black Dot is activated when an iOS user sends another user an iMessage (this is not an SMS) with an emoji of a black dot with a finger pointing at it. Loaded with plenty of invisible Unicode characters, this emoji will overwhelm the CPU and memory, forcing the messaging app to stop functioning and possibly lock up the device. The affected user may be lucky enough to close the app, but the bug will remain when the program is opened again, causing everything to crash. How do I squash this bug? Apple’s development team is still working on a patch to address the issue, but you can apply a temporary remedy to keep your device going. For devices that have Siri installed: Force close the program. Tell Siri to reply to the sender of the bugged message. Make Siri send replies until you do not see the black dot on the screen. Run the messaging app, tap Back, and remove the message that has the black dot from the list. If your iPhone has 3D Touch installed: Force close the messaging app. Run 3D Touch on the program. Choose the new message option. When you see the new message window, tap Cancel to see the conversations list. Delete the message with the black dot from the list. If your Apple device does not have 3D Touch or Siri installed: Try using a different Apple product that is synced to your iCloud account to run and log in to iMessage. Remove the message with the black dot from the conversation list in the former device. Make sure that you do not accidentally open the message in that app. While this bug is a major issue, it has not infected many Apple products yet. Once the final version of iOS 11.4 is released, the problem should be resolved. If you need more information on properly maintaining your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, feel free to give us a call today! Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
Setting up your new laptop with Windows 10
First things first, what should you do with your brand new laptop? You go through the Windows 10 setup, and you’re all done, right? Not really. Your notebook isn’t ready — until you do some tweaking. Let’s get the ball rolling. #1 Check for updates Your new laptop should check for updates automatically, but you can also check manually. Just click the gear icon above the Start button to go to the Settings, choose Update & Security > Windows Update and then click the Check for updates button. (Or, just type “updates” into the search box and click Check for updates.) #2 System restore If something goes wrong with your laptop, you can save a lot of time and hassle if you have a “restore point,” which is like a backup of your entire operating system. To set up a restore point, search for “restore” from the taskbar and click Create a restore point. You’ll be taken to the System Protection tab of the System Properties window. From there you can choose what you want to be included in the back and then click the Configure button. Select the radio dial to Turn on system protection if it’s not already on. And then you can choose how much disk space to reserve, usually no more than 2 or 3 percent. #3 Power plan If you want to prolong your laptop’s battery life, one of the best things you can do is switch the Power Saver, High Performance, and Balanced power plans based on your needs. To choose a plan, right click the battery icon in the lower-right corner of your screen and click Power settings. Next, click Additional power settings to select a power plan. #4 App installation tolerance level To restrict which apps can be installed on your laptop, you can disallow anything that isn’t in the Windows Store. Go to Settings > Apps > Apps & features and you can choose whether to permit installations from only the Windows Store, any app installations (with a warning), or unrestricted app installations. #5 Remove bloatware Vendors package new laptops with lots of trial apps, which are mostly unnecessary and unwanted software called bloatware. Windows 10 offers an easy way to see which apps are installed on your new laptop and a quick way to uninstall those you don’t want. Head to Settings > Apps > Apps & features and peruse the list. If you don’t want an app and are 100% certain your computer doesn’t need it, click the Uninstall button. #6 Anti-ransomware Ransomware is a form of malicious software (or malware) that makes all your data inaccessible until you pay a fee to hackers. To combat it, type ‘Windows Defender Security Center’ into the search bar at the bottom of your screen, click it and go to Virus & threat protection > Virus & threat protection settings. Here, you’ll be able to enable a new option called Controlled folder access, which protects you against ransomware attacks. By default, the Desktop, Documents, Music, Pictures, and Videos folders are protected, but you can add others too. Do you know what settings to change and update to optimize your laptop? This article barely scratches the surface of Window 10’s security and efficiency settings. Call us today for quick chat with one of our Microsoft experts about taking yours to the next level. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.