The dog days of summer are here, and it’s hot out! Homeowners and business owners alike are bracing for their upcoming power bills as they run their air conditioners around the clock trying to keep cool. But for many business owners, it’s not just about keeping your team cool – it’s also about keeping your technology cool.

Malicious hackers are motivated by different things. Some do it for fun, some want money, and others just want to end your business. Getting to know how they behave and what drives them informs how you must defend your organization against them.
Script kiddies
In terms of skill, script kiddies (or skids, for short) are at the bottom of the hacker totem pole.

This past Wednesday, the FBI confirmed that a group called Ransomware Evil and Software Sodinokibi were the ones behind the latest large-profile cybersecurity attack on international meat produce, JBS Foods. Although the company claimed that customer, supplier, and employee data hadn't been compromised, the attack still left a harmful effect on operations and company privacy.

Using the cloud is so common these days that most small- and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) have at least one cloud service supporting their operations. An increasingly popular cloud-based service is enterprise resource planning (ERP). But what is it? And what are the advantages of using a cloud-based ERP solution? Here’s a quick and informative overview.

Surface is comprised of Microsoft’s top-of-the-line laptops and tablets built with touchscreen capabilities, allowing them to integrate with Office 365 in even more efficient ways than previously possible. Here’s what to look forward to.
Audio transcription in Word
This new feature allows audio files to be uploaded into Word, which will then be broken down and transcribed on a side panel using Azure Speech Technology.

With more devices, apps, and users than ever before, there is additional complexity when it comes to managing and protecting user access in your business. Did you know that 80% of data breaches are caused by weak, reused, or stolen passwords? These unprotected passwords are what create endless risks for your business, making it all the more important to ensure password security among your employees.

In any business, big or small, employees can be your biggest IT threat, and they might not even realize it. Businesses already face countless cyberthreats, like data breaches, cyber-attacks, online viruses and malicious e-mails. But despite all these outside threats, the real problem can come from the inside.

Technology enables businesses to work remotely, collaborate more efficiently, and manage their time more effectively. But to achieve these benefits, you need to implement technologies that align with your business’s needs. Here are some things to consider.

If you missed last week’s webinar on Mike Ritsema’s top 6 Microsoft Outlook functions, we’ve brought you a recording of it! Select the topics you are interested in below:

0:00 Intro
0:50 How to work offline in Outlook - send all
2:11 How to customize the Outlook top ribbon - save the folder; attach file; delay delivery
4:15 How to create quick parts and email templates
7:05 How to create quick steps - right clicking on emails - moving to folders
9:00 How to reply with IM - through Outlook, you can share to Teams and OneNote
10:20 How to share my calendar through email
11:27 How to create auto-text
13:30 How to create rules in Outlook to organize your emails

Mike also went over his favorite Teams functions a few weeks ago, so if you are interested, you can view that video below:

As the saying goes… in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes. Although it originated more than 200 years ago, this notion still stands true today, but it now holds even more of a burden and complexity thanks to hackers and their ever-present quest to steal your identity.