Tools to Help Have a More Productive Day

Mar 24, 2016 | News

Tools to Help Have a More Productive Day

We’re all in the same boat a million and one things to get done, and seemingly never enough hours in the day to fit them all in. But technology can come to your rescue. By using the best productivity tools you can find, you can add valuable minutes and hours to your workday.

Here are four tools to start using if you’re not already: Google Alerts , Chrome to Mobile and Pocket

Google Alert is a notice sent to you from the Google alert system via email when Google has found an instance of the keywords you have setup to monitor. You can send this notice to any email address. It does not have to be a Gmail email address. You set what areas of the internet you wish to monitor. It can be just news articles, just blogs, the web, a comprehensive report covering all instances, just videos or just groups.

The frequency that you receive your Google alert is set by you. The alert can be sent as Google finds the phrase, once each day or once a week. In one session you are allowed to create up to ten alerts. Once confirming your alerts, you are allowed to create more. The maximum number of alerts you are allowed per email address is 1000 alerts.

Chrome to Mobile send web pages from Chrome on your computer to Chrome on your Android phone or tablet, or your iPhone or iPad.Ever find yourself reading a page or looking at a map on your desktop and wanting a fast way to get that same page on your phone or tablet? Chrome to Mobile enables you to send a live URL from Chrome on your computer to Chrome on your phone or tablet. Optionally, you can choose to send a copy for offline viewing.

Pocket this simple tool allows you to save content that you find online to one central place, so that you can go back to it with ease when the time is right. It will save you from needing to keep those hundreds of tabs open until you have a spare moment to go back and go through your reading list (or more likely until you decide is enough is enough, and close all the tabs to stop them slowing down your computer any further – and in the process you lose all that valuable information without keeping a copy).

Incorporate all three tools in your day and we guarantee it will seem a little more productive.

This Tech Tip is brought to you by BlackBox Connections.

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Prevent this Hack Attack “Locky”

Mar 24, 2016 | Security Tips

Prevent this Hack Attack “Locky”

A small hospital in Henderson, KY is in a state of emergency reeling from a “Locky” ransomware attack waged by cyber criminals. The FBI reported that more recently, we’re seeing an increasing number of incidents involving so-called ‘drive-by‘ ransomware, where users can infect their computers simply by clicking on a compromised website, often lured there by a deceptive e-mail or pop-up window,” the FBI said in its report.

How did the hackers get in the Methodist Hospital’s computer network located in Henderson, KY? The criminals reportedly used new strain of malware known as “Locky” to encrypt important files. The malware spread from the initial infected machine to the entire internal network and several other systems. “Locky” ransomware is the newest ransomware variation.

The hospital is reportedly considering paying hackers the ransom money of four bitcoins, about $1,600 at the current exchange rate, for the key to unlock the files.

As with other hack attacks, you can work to avoid ransomware. Experts advise taking these steps to avoid attacks or protect yourself after an attack:

Back up often The ability to restore quickly undermines the attack.

Reputable antivirus software and firewall Business class firewalls and security software minimize exposure.

Block popups Popups are a prime tactic used by the bad guys, so simply avoid even accidentally clicking on an infected popup.

Exercise caution Don’t click on links inside emails, and avoid suspicious websites. If your PC does come under attack, use another computer to research details about the type of attack. But be aware that the bad guys are devious enough to create fake sites, perhaps touting their own fake antivirus software or their de-encryption program.

Disconnect from the Internet If you receive a Ransomware note, disconnect from the Internet so your personal data isn’t transmitted back to the criminals.

Alert authorities Ransomware is a serious form of extortion.

This IT Security Tip is brought to you by BlackBox Connections.

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7 Tips to Protect Your Business from Cybercrime

Mar 23, 2016 | Security Tips

7 Tips to Protect Your Business from Cybercrime

Cybercrime is on the rise and a very real threat for business owners.

To make matters worse, hackers don’t have rules, regulations, and compliance concerns, which means that small business owners must take an offensive position to security. Unfortunately, many business owners don’t seem to focus on network and system security until after they’ve been compromised, been affected, or lost data.

Security starts at the front door and needs to be well designed through technology. What can you do to protect your business from some of the threats out there today?

#1 Be deliberate about passwords and access. Make sure your staff changes passwords on a regular basis and make it mandatory to create complex passwords.

#2 Employ a layered security approach between your network and the internet. This could include: a Unified Threat Management based firewalls, URL filtering, third party spam filtering, encrypted email, and intrusion protection system and a web application filter

#3 Discuss banking security services including account controls with your commercial banker.

#4 Insist on routine vulnerability testing of your network and remediation as necessary. Make sure your company is using an advance firewall. Be sure to keep your subscriptions and patching up-to date.

#5 Make sure you educate users on what software they can use as well and what they should avoid clicking on. Implement advance filters and anti-spam services to prevent your users form getting malware and infected emails.

#6 Keep your computer operating systems and mission-critical applications running on the most current and supported versions. Update your SSL certificates and Application Programming Interface keys. Replace any machines that are running Windows XP because Microsoft stopped providing security patches for this operating system.

#7 Ensure you have a reliable data backup and recovery system so that if you must restore, you can do so quickly and efficiently.

Conclusion: The key to protecting your business is: awareness, planning, protection and ongoing auditing.

This IT Security Tip is brought to you by BlackBox Connections.

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Benefits of Office 365

Mar 23, 2016 | News

Benefits of Office 365

No matter what the size of your organization, Microsoft Office 365 will allow you to enjoy the benefits of dependable cloud solutions to increase efficiency and free up company resources.

Microsoft Office 365 gives your business the power of cloud productivity, allowing you to save MONEY!

The key benefits of Office 365 include:

Anywhere, Anytime Access to your email, documents, contacts, and calendars on nearly any Web-enabled device

Continue Working with Microsoft Office and the other programs you and your staff already count on for productivity

Business-Class Features include IT-level phone support, geo-redundancy, guaranteed 99.9% uptime and disaster recovery services

Pay-as-you-go pricing that brings both predictability and flexibility to your budget

Access to the newest version (BPOS) the Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite

Microsoft Office 365 gives your business the power to combine your existing Office desktop suite with these next-generation technologies:

Office Professional Plus get more out of the Microsoft applications you’re already familiar with

Exchange Online optimize your email with simple cloud computing solutions

SharePoint Online inspire collaboration to increase productivity and your bottom line

Lync Online reduce your carbon footprint and stay connected with online communications

Microsoft Office 365 is not only user-friendly and secure, but also offers a 99.9% up time guarantee. If you have any questions about Office 365 or might be considering making the switch – contact us today.

This IT Tech Tip is brought to you by BlackBox Connections.

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What is the Cloud?

Mar 22, 2016 | News

What is the Cloud?

When someone says they store their documents “in the cloud”, what they mean is that their documents are stored on the internet. Email, Documents, Backup …it doesn’t matter what it is, if it can be stored in your computer, it can be stored “in the cloud”.

Cloud backup such as DropBox, OneDrive, Google Drive or iCloud upload your information from your computer to their servers via the internet. Most cloud-based services provide software that make it easy to interact with that service. The benefits of the cloud include:

Flexibility Cloud-based services are ideal for businesses with growing or fluctuating bandwidth demands. If your needs increase it’s easy to scale up your cloud capacity, drawing on the service’s remote servers. Likewise, if you need to scale down again, the flexibility is baked into the service.

Disaster recovery Businesses of all sizes should be investing in robust disaster recovery, but for smaller businesses that lack the required cash and expertise, this is often more an ideal than the reality. Cloud is now helping more organizations buck that trend.

Automatic software updates The beauty of cloud computing is that the servers are off-premise, out of sight and out of your hair. Suppliers take care of them for you and roll out regular software updates – including security updates – so you don’t have to worry about wasting time maintaining the system yourself. Leaving you free to focus on the things that matter, like growing your business.

Capital-Expenditure Free Cloud computing cuts out the high cost of hardware. You simply pay as you go and enjoy a subscription-based model that’s kind to your cash flow. Add to that the ease of setup and management and suddenly your complex IT project looks at lot friendlier.

Increased collaboration When your teams can access, edit and share documents anytime, from anywhere, they’re able to do more together, and do it better. Cloud-based workflow and file sharing apps help them make updates in real time and gives them full visibility of their collaborations.

Work from anywhere If you’ve got an internet connection you can be at work. And with most serious cloud services offering mobile apps, you’re not restricted by which device you’ve got to hand.

Document control The more employees and partners collaborate on documents, the greater the need for watertight document control. Before the cloud, workers had to send files back and forth as email attachments to be worked on by one user at a time. Sooner or later, you end up with a mess of conflicting file content, formats and titles.

If you have any questions about the cloud, or you might be considering the move to the cloud, contact us at anytime.

This IT Security Tip is brought to you by BlackBox Connections.

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