The OneDrive Admin Center preview was just released. This is what you need to know.

There are so many great changes happening to OneDrive and the most recent one that you can benefit from is the new OneDrive Admin Center. While this has not yet rolled out to all users, it will be available soon. The preview is available to First Release customers currently and OneDrive is looking to hear feedback so if you have access, you need to check it out and let them know what you think.

The Advances of the Year

OneDrive has been busy all year updating their systems and adding new features. They have worked towards making things easier and better for their end users in areas such as IT, web, mobile, and across sync. The advances have come at a rapid pace and they are simply trying to keep up with the things their customers have vocalized as needs. Another component to this is that as the number of users and usage grows for companies, they have reached out asking for easier ways to administer their company OneDrive settings and policies. One of the ways they are doing just that is through the OneDrive Admin Center.

What You Need to Know About the OneDrive Admin Center

The OneDrive Admin Center will be available for more people to view before too long but for now, you can only use it if you are a First Release Customer. To check to see if you have access, you can try to view the preview at https://admin.onedrive.com. To get a good look at what it offers without having access to the preview, we have you covered. These are the key features of the Admin Center by section:

• Home Dashboard. On this page, you will be able to see all of your most recent Office 365 Message Center posts. You can also view your usage reporting that is related to OneDrive for Business.
• Share Information. You can view and control exactly what you share and with who from this page. You can also view who your users are sharing information with. This page allows you to control the use of external sharing and your anonymous links. You can also limit the external domains that your users can share information with.
• Control Syncing. You can block syncing of specific file types while also denying syncing to any PCs or devices that are not from your domain.
• Manage Storage. Within this section, you will be able to set default storage limits as well as document retention durations. This allows you to better control how your storage is used.
• Control Device Access. You do not want any device gaining access to your files. Now you can control how and where someone can access them. You can deny access from personal devices or other networks if that is what you want. You can also implement Mobile Application Management Intune policies for iOS and Android devices.
• Ensure Compliance. You can find links to auditing, data loss prevention, eDiscovery, and retention from the Office 365 Security and Compliance Center so you can better maintain your compliance.

The OneDrive Admin Center will make many components of your business safer and more productive. To find out more, contact {company} in {city} via {phone} or {email}.

Technology has made pretty much everything easier, even paying for items. Although it is easier to pay with your phone, is it really smart to do it?

How nice is it that technology has advanced so much that you do not even have to get your wallet out to pay anymore? Technology has made many aspects of our lives easier than we ever though possible but that does not mean that all of them are the safest ways to do things. Paying with your phone might be extremely convenient but before you make it a habit, there are a few things you should consider if you want your money and personal information to be kept as safe as possible.

How Reliable is the App

The app that you are using to pay with your phone would be assumed to be safe. However, you should never assume anything and every app has its own vulnerabilities. Before you use any app, you need to make sure that it is one that you would trust. You will be putting in some very sensitive information such as your banking account, your credit card information, and more. Before you let them have access to all of it, take the time to vet the app and the company that supports it. Are other people happy with the app? Is it secured? You also need to check for the app permissions and their privacy policy. Make sure that they only have access to the information they need and not everything on your phone.

Protect Your Phone

Once you have decided on an app that you can trust, you need to be extra careful about keeping your phone secure. If your phone ends up in the wrong hands, you are essentially giving them all of your personal and account information so they can take all of your money and steal your identity. It is extremely important to set up a password on your phone and on the app, if it is allowed. Make sure the passwords are not the same. Also, consider ensuring that you use a strong password that can not be easily guessed and never share the information with anyone. Keep a close eye on your phone and never leave it unattended or unlocked.

Use Secure Networks

Even if your phone and the app are very secure, you do not want to risk using your phone if you have to connect to a network that is not secure. Cyber criminals are known to use unsecured networks to get valuable information and hack devices. Do not use public Wi-Fi if you can help it and never connect to a network that you are not sure about. Instead, use your mobile network and ensure it has a password before sharing information through it.

Even by taking all of these precautions, there is still no guarantee that your information will remain safe. You should always keep your app up to date in case there was a patch to keep everything more secure. Also, you should keep an eye on your bank statement and phone statement every month to ensure that there haven’t been any hacks on your personal information. For more information about keeping your data secure in {city}, be sure to contact {company} via {phone} or {email}.

Best wishes for a happy holiday season and our sincere thanks for your loyalty and goodwill throughout the year.

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Optimizing your technology for success in business won’t happen by accident. Achieving an efficient and effective IT environment requires time, expertise, structure and a proven strategy tailored to your needs, all of which you can get from our IT Experts.

New Popcorn Time Ransomware Demands Cash Unless Infected User Agrees to Spread the Virus to Friends

We’re Urging Local Individuals and Businesses to be Informed about Latest and Most Sophisticated Cyber Scam

The need for cyber security has been on the radar and in the playbooks of serious companies and their executives for some years. However, recent advancements in a particularly virulent strain of software called “ransomware” has made even forward-thinking CIOs sit up and take notice. Ransomware attacks are hitting individuals, institutions and businesses hard, right here in {city}. Ransomware attacks are defined by their demand for incredibly high ransom fees simply to restore access to information and reinstate productivity.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, the newest form of diabolical ransomware floating around the internet is through a software called Popcorn Time. Popcorn Time is deviously named after but unrelated to the bittorent piracy app and quickly infects a user’s machine and demands a 1 bitcoin ransom (over $700), to reinstate access to data held hostage. However, the particularly daunting aspect of this strain of ransomware is the alternative escape option it offers. If an infected user can’t afford the bitcoin payment, they can have their files released for free on one condition: send the malicious link to two friends, have them download the infection and pay the ransom.

Reminiscent of a B-rated Hollywood horror film or a bad pyramid scheme, this new method of spreading the virus and seeking out more victims is incredibly hard to track, prevent and slow down. The frightening new software was discovered by cyber-security researchers, MalwareHunterTeam, and the malicious program is still in development. However, researchers claim that if left to develop fully, the innovative method of distribution could make Popcorn Time one of the most dangerous and wide-spread cyber-scams on the internet.

So what can individuals do to stay protected? And what does one do when they find themselves faced with paying a ransom or selling out their friends? The cyber-security experts at {company} want to make sure {city} individuals and businesses are well-versed in how to proactively keep data protected before nasty ransomware like this takes hold of data. The most important point of defense is securing reliable back-up solutions where an emergency copy of all important data is stored and protected on a separate machine or in the cloud.

Through proactive and strategic planning and preparedness, the {company} team is committed to ensuring that their client base is equipped with comprehensive back-ups in case of attack or disaster. Because of this foresight, {company} clients wouldn’t have to pay the ransom to retrieve their files in the case of an attack, nor would they have to consider selling out colleagues or friends to avoid the bitcoin payment.

Even with backups in place, damage-control and restoration time to get business back on track can be costly. Though the {company} team is equipped to help clients recover from disaster quickly, there is a cost associated for the man hours needed to restore data. Not to mention the lost productivity and wage expenses that businesses suffer because their employees are unable to work for a certain amount of time. Furthermore, ransomware attacks like Popcorn Time are getting increasingly sophisticated and malicious and can manifest in ever-evolving ways. Therefore, it’s critical to have a variety of cyber-security measures in place to ensure protection.

Investing in the correct preparation and protection mechanisms may seem time consuming or costly, however, the cost pales in comparison to the potential damages that a ransomware attack can cause. As the prevalence and sophistication of ransomware continues to rise, the potential cost and productivity savings of enlisting IT support is becoming increasingly evident.

If you’d like to connect your business-minded audience with more information about this nasty new strain of Ransomware, other daunting cyber-security threats and tips for staying informed and protected, please don’t hesitate to reach out to {company} at {phone} or email us at {email}.

Keeping the masses informed is the first and most important step against beating cyber criminals.

Network downtime can be a costly issue that many tend to overlook. With many businesses ignoring moments of network failure or how often their network fails, the silent killer of network downtime can go undetected until it’s too late. Thankfully, there’s a few things one can do visualize the costs of network downtime and avoid the pitfalls of such circumstances.

Network Downtime & Your Financial Gain

In total, network downtime easily costs companies a total of $26.5 billion annually. Large businesses tend to lose $1,000,000 during network downtime, as medium-sized businesses lose $91,000 and small businesses lose around $55,000 every year. Considering the time lost during network downtime is rarely retrieved, ill-prepared sites rarely have a chance to bounce back given the significant losses.

Network Downtime & Your Reputation

In addition to the money your business loses, network downtime can also destroy your reputation. For example, let’s say your business is a brick and mortar business that regularly takes breaks during the busiest time of the day. When a customer comes your the service to find out it’s closed, it annoys the customer and makes them want to visit a different service that can cater to them.

It wasn’t too long ago when The New York Times website went down for two hours and their competitors took advantage of the situation. Their stocks dropped and the competitors dropped the prices of their service to soak up the subscribers the New York Times had lost. Although some businesses are prepared for such situations during network downtime, many don’t have the extra funds to recover from a major setback.

Network Downtime & Your Search Results

In addition to destroying your reputation and profits, network downtime can also ruin your ranking in search engines. If network downtime is a regular issue for your service, Google could drop your business from the search index altogether if the service isn’t reliable. Even if your service is successful in search engines, it’s possible that your business could see a drop in how it shows up in general searches.

So now that the damage of network downtime has been put into perspective, it’s important that your business avoids such issues at all costs. Thankfully, {company} is here to make sure that network downtime isn’t a problem your business adapts to. So if you happen to live in the {city} area, feel free to contact us by email at {email} or by phone at {phone} so we can make your network downtime issues a thing of the past.