TechTidBit - Tips and advice for small business computing - Tech Experts™ - Monroe Michigan

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Microsoft 365 Is The Best Thing For Staff Productivity

Thomas Fox is president of Tech Experts, southeast Michigan’s leading small business computer support company.

Pandemic + Work From Home = relying on technology more than ever before.

The tools available in Microsoft 365 have developed to help us stay productive wherever we’re working.

If you’ve been using Microsoft’s software for years, now’s a good time to discover new features.

If you haven’t started exploring yet, you’re missing out on loads of ways to boost productivity and make your life easier. Here are some of the main things to explore.

Microsoft Teams
Teams has made communication and collaboration even more effective than traditional ways of working face-to-face. [Read more…] about Microsoft 365 Is The Best Thing For Staff Productivity

Handle Your Email With Care (Even With A SPAM Filter)

Mark Funchion is a network technician at Tech Experts.

A lot of the communication we do today is by email. Naturally, that makes it a favorite avenue for malicious individuals to attack your system. A SPAM filter can help considerably, however nothing is 100% effective – and there is a fine line between “too aggressive” and “not aggressive enough.”

Turning up the aggressiveness of the filter may stop the bad mail while at the same time improperly labeling legitimate messages as SPAM. Even with a SPAM filter, you should handle your email with care.

Here are a few tips to potentially save you from opening a message or attachment that is nefarious in nature.

The first rule is “just don’t do it.” It is tempting to just click that link or open that attachment.

You may even do it without a second thought. Scam emails can be very sophisticated, and they will often look like they are real.

Before you do anything, take a moment and consider a few things. If you are sent an attachment from someone you don’t know, never open it. If the fishy attachment or email is from someone you do know but it was not expected, reach out the sender to make sure they actually sent it.

Next, don’t jump the gun on clicking links that are sent to you. Links are easy to manipulate; they can be made to look legitimate, but they’ll actually take you to a different site or start downloading a program or virus.

With links, there are two things you can do.

First, you can open a browser and go directly to the site to bypass all links. This is the safest option, especially when you get an “urgent alert” about your account that “requires immediate action.”

If you can’t go to the page directly through the website, you can hover your cursor over the link. A box will pop up previewing the destination you’re actually being sent to.

If a link looks strange and doesn’t match the company website, don’t click on it. Also, look closely at the link as it may look just like a real one at first glance. Unless you are 100% sure the link is legitimate, do not click on it.

Another giveaway is that the message is poorly written with a lot of grammatical errors. If the message sounds like whoever wrote it doesn’t use English as their first language (and it is not from a foreign company you do business with), delete the message. Do not open or click on anything in the message.

The last point is that it’s usually not a good idea to unsubscribe from scam emails.

This may seem counterintuitive, but when you unsubscribe, you usually put your email address in to confirm you no longer want these messages.

Unfortunately, that lets the scammer know your email address is active. They will continue to send emails to this account or may sell it off as an active email.

Rather than unsubscribe from the email, block the sender. They will not know your email is active, and if they do send another message to you, it will not be received.

SPAM filters are great and they are essential. Still, remember that they are not 100% effective. Even with protection in place, it is wise to proceed with caution.

Take a moment to look for signs that the message is not from who it seems. These few seconds can save you a lot of time and money by avoiding disaster.

Make Remembering Passwords A Thing Of The Past

Using weak passwords is risky. So is using the same password across different services.

If you do this, it means that once somebody has your email address and password, they’ll find it incredibly easy to access your other accounts.

This can wreak havoc on your digital life and within your business. And the damage can spill over into serious real-world inconvenience too.

This is especially true if identity theft is involved, or if they’ve managed to break into your social media or bank accounts.

Data breaches happen every day. And once your passwords and email addresses are out there, you never know whose hands they’ll end up in (many get sold on something called the
Dark Web, a kind of hidden internet for criminals).

But what can you do to keep your passwords safe and your digital accounts secure?

Use a password manager
Instead of scratching your head to come up with a new password for each account, use a password manager to automatically generate long, random, strong passwords.

It’ll also remember them for you. You only need to remember one password… the master password to access the password manager.

The best password managers let you customize how long your passwords are, and what kind of characters they should include. And will keep them 100% safe while still giving you easy access across all your devices.

We can set you up with an Enterprise Password Manager (the one we use) and train you and your team on how to best use it – simply get in touch!

Turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA)
As well as setting up a password manager, turn on multi factor authentication (MFA) wherever possible. When you log in to your accounts, you’ll need to enter an additional security code as second means of keeping your account secure.

These codes can be sent to you by text message or email. Better still, you can set up an authentication app on your phone that refreshes with unique codes every few seconds. Some applications also support a hardware security key that you plug into your computer or that displays security codes that rotate every 60 seconds.

Multi-factor authentication is available on most software and is considered a highly effective tool against hackers.

Even if they’ve got your login details they can’t get in without your phone.

We recommend you implement this for all apps your staff use.

After an initial bit of discomfort, they’ll soon get used to it. We can guide you and your team through the whole process – just give us a call!

Would You Know If You Were Being Smished?

Ooof… you’d hope so, right? Sounds uncomfortable.

But push away whatever image that word has put in your head, and turn your attention to your mobile phone.

Smishing is the text message version of phishing.

What’s phishing again? It’s where criminals send you an email, pretending to be someone else (like your bank), to try to get sensitive information from you.

Yes, these cyber criminals really are resourceful. And the more ways there are to try and infiltrate your data, the more they’ll use different platforms.

Just like with phishing, smishing attempts are not always as easy to spot as you might think.

Most of them pretend to be sent from a recognized business – like your network provider, for example – rather than just a random number. Some look like they’ve come from someone you know personally.

They’ll ask you to click a link to take an action like checking your monthly bill, updating your account information, or maybe to pay a bill. It’s usually the kind of message you would expect to see from that business.

But if you click that link… you’ve potentially given them access to your device. And that means they may have access to your data, passwords, and any other information stored on your phone.

Terrifying.

Protecting yourself is really similar to the way you’d deal with a phishing attempt on your email:

• Never click on any links unless you’re certain the sender is who they say they are

• If you’re unsure, contact the company (or person) on their usual number to check

• And if an offer seems too good to be true, it usually is (sorry, you didn’t really win that competition you never even entered)

Consider this our number one most important golden rule: Never click a link if you’re not expecting it. Wait to verify it with the sender first.

Is Your Business Data Encrypted?

Encryption can be a confusing subject for most people.

Is it a good thing or a bad thing?

We understand the confusion. Thanks to the surge in ransomware, you could be forgiven for thinking that encrypting data is definitely a bad thing. After all, if it’s encrypted, how on earth will it be usable?

However, when you encrypt your own data, you’re adding a level of protection to it. It means that should it be stolen; it’ll be unusable to anyone else.

But less than 50% of companies have standardized end-to-end encryption set up. While they have some level of encryption, they don’t have a documented standard that covers every area of their business.

And it’s not only hackers and other cyber criminals that could benefit from a business’ lack of data encryption. Lost or stolen devices put that data at risk too.

When you consider that a laptop is stolen every 53 seconds, it’s leaving businesses more vulnerable than they should be.

Microsoft 365 automatically encrypts business data by default. But if you have no other encryption set up across your applications and files, it’s time to speak to your IT support partner.

If we can help you, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Three Ways That Technology Has Transformed Businesses

Thomas Fox is president of Tech Experts, southeast Michigan’s leading small business computer support company.

Breakthroughs in technology have torn apart old ways of working, as new alternatives have become impossible to ignore.

Here are three examples of ways that technology has transformed businesses everywhere.

Instant customer service
As new methods of communication have emerged, businesses have been able to significantly increase the quality and availability of the customer service they offer.

Instead of relying on face-to-face meetings or telephone calls to answer customer questions, businesses can now help through immediate online channels like live chat.

This is convenient for many customers, as they can talk at the exact moment they need help. It allows them to get immediate answers to their questions without needing to navigate telephone menus or book an appointment.

[Read more…] about Three Ways That Technology Has Transformed Businesses

Heads Up: Hackers Are Exploiting Email Forwarding Rules

Mark Funchion is a network technician at Tech Experts.
The ways in which hackers attack accounts are endless, and a lot goes into keeping your accounts both safe and usable.

A newer attack style that is being used (and one we have personal experience with resolving) is the manipulation of email forwarding rules.

Email forwarding rules are rules that are set up in your inbox to forward a message to another mailbox as soon as it arrives.

The danger for the email owner is that these rules can also clean up after themselves by deleting the message, preventing a copy of the forward from showing in the “Sent Items” folder, and deleting the message from the “Deleted Items” folder.

If a hacker takes advantage of this, then all your email will be sent to and read by someone you do not even know.

Think about the items in your inbox, especially the ones that are sensitive and/or confidential. Can you risk there being a period of time where your messages are being forwarded without your knowledge?

Also, as the hackers are good at cleaning up and hiding their tracks, you need someone with the experience and expertise to resolve this for you if it does occur.

One of the big dangers with this attack style is that changing your password or adding two-factor authentication will not stop the current breach once the rule is in place.

Forwards will continue to be sent because the rule is not password dependent. It’s the same with two-factor authentication; if you enable this after the rule is in place, it will not do you any good.

There are steps that can be taken to prevent these types of attacks, however most of them are not settings that an end user would be familiar with.

It’s important to not allow forwarding to occur to email addresses outside of your domain, and relatedly, it’s a good idea to allow the full sync of settings between the web client and the local desktop client.

For example, Office 365 by default will not sync these settings, so if someone gains access to your email and creates a forward on the web page, you and your IT department will not see it if they look in your Outlook client on your local computer.

These rules can be hidden if the hacker knows what they are doing. This means a quick open-and-check-if-a-rule-exists is not sufficient. Steps need to be taken to make sure there are no rules, not just a lack of visible rules.

Checking for these rules if there is a suspected breach is critical because of another potential problem: if you do a password reset on another account that you are concerned about (for example, your bank because you use the same password), that email with details gets forwarded to the hacker and they may be able to gain access to that account.

Hackers will continue to evolve as they need to. As this exploit is discovered and procedures are put in place to mitigate their effect, the next exploit will be used and the cycle will start again. Having a partner to help you navigate through all these potential issues is essential.

Being aware of these exploits, watching for new ones, and making necessary changes to keep your business safe is a big part of what Tech Experts does.

Handling these concerns is part of our core business, giving you the peace of mind to handle your core business.

How Do You Know When Your Systems Are Due For An Upgrade?

Some problems are difficult to spot. They bubble under the surface without getting noticed until it’s too late.

Other problems hit you straight in the face, normally at the worst possible time.

When it comes to your business’s IT, you need to keep an eye out for each of these, as things can get nasty if you don’t stay on top of things.

Keeping your IT updated is a good start, but it isn’t enough on its own. How do you know what to look out for? Let’s look at some of the main culprits.

The slow creepers
Slow computers are a big one, and they’re quite tricky to spot because they gradually slow down over time.

This means that people using them gradually adjust to degrading levels of performance without necessarily being aware that’s happening.

The same is true for software. As staff get used to using slow and buggy tools, it gets normalized and the IT gremlins become accepted as part of their daily life.

It’s always worth fixing slow devices and processes. Speeding them up will let your staff be more productive. And give morale a boost too.

Out of date systems
Another thing that can be difficult to spot is when warranties run out.

On top of official warranties, IT systems also have a separate lifespan for how long vendors will continue to offer updates. Pushing this to the edge can significantly impact features, compatibility, as well as security.

Your customers don’t have much patience for slow or clunky processes.

It can be difficult to measure how much business you lose on the back of this, so frequently auditing your systems is key to avoiding missed opportunities.

Too old to scale
If your IT systems aren’t scalable, there’s a real risk that your business will need to start turning down work because you’re not able to handle swings in demand.

It’s worth bearing in mind that there’s a far greater chance of experiencing big changes in consumer behavior in 2021, both during and in the aftermath of this pandemic.

Also, if you’re running out-of-date IT systems, you’re living with the risk that you won’t be able to quickly adopt new ways of working, as technology changes your industry.

What can you do?
An important first step is to have an IT strategy in place that acts as a foundation for your business.

Instead of reacting to problems as they come up, an IT strategy will help you plan for future scenarios. As well as acting as a solid foundation to help your business make the best possible decisions about the future.

A good IT strategy creates a technology roadmap for getting your business up to speed and keeping it there.

Everyone On Your Team Needs Cyber Security Training. Including You!

Every good business leader knows that training is essential for a highly productive team.

But have you ever considered giving your staff cyber security training? You really should.

What is it?

It’s about increasing their awareness of the ways that criminals try to break into your IT system, and the devastating consequences if they do.

So, they’d learn:
• How to spot the different types of fake emails and messages, and what to do with them
• The risk of social engineering by email, phone, or text message
• Why we use basic security tools such as password managers and multi factor authentication (where you generate a code on another device)

By holding regular cyber security training sessions, you can keep everyone up to date. And develop a great culture of security awareness. It’s another layer of protection to help ensure that your business doesn’t become part of a scary statistic (one small business is hacked every 19 seconds).

As the company owner, it’s critical you do the training, too.

You’ll be one of the most targeted people in the business, as you probably have access to all the systems, including the bank account.

If you don’t already have cyber security training in place, we’d love to help. Give us a call at (734) 457-5000, or an email to info@mytechexperts.com.

Is It Time To Go Undercover?

When you hear the phrase ‘incognito mode,’ do you think of the undercover detective image in the Chrome window?

Well, incognito mode, or private browsing isn’t just there to hide your browsing history.

It can be utilized for an added layer of protection against cyber-crime. You see, when you use a private browsing window, it doesn’t record the websites that you’ve visited (not on that machine, anyway). Cookies and other trackers are only used in that session – not saved.

Nor does it automatically remember your login details, save temporary files, or store cookies.

Private browsing also allows you to log into several accounts on the same app at the same time, which can be convenient for things like social media, email, or file sharing.

Did you know that administrators CAN still see employees’ activity in incognito? So, you don’t need to worry whether an employee is secretly spending too much time on Facebook.

If you’d like any further information on how to keep your business more secure, we’d love to talk. Give the helpdesk a call at (734) 240-0200 or email us at support@mytechexperts.com.