Author: Stuart Crawford

We are all familiar with a situation where we are not able to find a suitable meeting place or time because all the boardrooms have been booked and our tiny personal offices can barely host more than three people at a time. Yet, you have to work together with other team members in order to produce a document with merged data and beat that deadline.

Cloud Attachments

Previously, if you had an attachment that you needed to share, you had to email it across the networks; it was so tedious and time-consuming. Not to mention the long hour spent sifting through your inbox and trying to clear out files. The worst part of this process is often that no one knows whether they’re working on the right version of the file. You may not have the most current draft so all your hard work could be for nothing. Those days are gone for team members who work in the cloud.

What is it actually like to share files stored in the cloud?

Using Outlook.com, go to create a new email and click on attach file. There will be a pop-up menu with a number of options to attach a file the old way or to attach a cloud file. Once you attach a cloud file, it will give you further options to change permissions so the document can be shared with everyone in the company. You can change permissions to allow sharing with only a single individual or a group.

Once the file is shared, anyone who is online at that particular time can edit the file and immediately you will see the new changes on your end of the document. There is no need to send it back and forth. Everyone edits in real time and can see the changes being made.

Collaborating in the Cloud Version

Open an email and click on an actual document link. Automatically, it will open in a browser window. The Cloud allows you to edit anything in the browser. If you want a different experience on your desktop or your phone, you can click open in your application, and you can edit it there and save it to the cloud. The great part of all this is that everything you make changes to and save is viewable by everyone you sent the file to.

Going back on the History of the File

Microsoft gives you a choice on how you want to work. But there are those people who are still concerned that sharing a file and co-authoring is going to make them lose control of what they worked on. You can go back to the original file if you like. When you open the file in the App, on the top right of the screen, you will see a little backtrack icon. When you click on that icon you will see all history of the file. You can then restore or edit from that point. You can do this from the cloud as well.

Microsoft Teams

Just like in Office, you have your own personal file storage system called OneDrive. You can also create a shared file cabinet and this is known as SharePoint. All the conversations that naturally happen in an office can occur in the chat room of MS Teams. The notes that you would take in a meeting can be created and shared in OneNote. That is what Microsoft Teams is all about. It’s a good collaboration tool so that your whole team can perform all the tasks they need to complete while staying in touch with each other.

OneNote

From that same single interface where you shared the file, you can look at the meeting minutes from meetings you were not able to attend. OneNote makes it easy to see what you missed and catch up. You can also chat on the same platform and get other people’s opinions and comments.

OneDrive

OneDrive is an application that is accessible on any device, PC or smartphone. It’s a good tool when you want to get opinions and feedback from the rest of the team. All files are stored on OneDrive. It’s easy to give access to these files to all or a few team members. You decide whether to give editing permissions to each individual.

Wrap Up

Group assignments are made easy with Microsoft Office 365. It includes all the tools you might need in a day’s time to create and edit documents, talk to team mates, keep notes in a meeting or work together in the cloud. If you need more information you can visit: https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/sites/get-it-done/default.aspx

We’ll Be Celebrating – But Our Help Desk Will Still Be Here For You And Your Staff

Here’s to our beautiful lakes, our majestic mountains, and everything that makes Canada the greatest place to live!

For anyone who’s not Canadian, here’s what Canada Day is all about.

On July 1, 1867, Canada became a self-governing dominion of Great Britain and a federation of four provinces:

1. Nova Scotia
2. New Brunswick
3. Ontario
4. Quebec

These four provinces were created from the former British colonies of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the Province of Canada. The Province of Canada was divided into Quebec and Ontario.

Canada’s boundaries have been extended since 1867. Today, Canada consists of ten provinces and three territories.

The Ten Provinces Of Canada Are:

1. Alberta
2. British Columbia
3. Manitoba
4. New Brunswick
5. Newfoundland and Labrador
6. Nova Scotia
7. Ontario
8. Prince Edward Island
9. Quebec
10. Saskatchewan

Canada’s Three Territories Are:

1. Northwest Territories
2. Nunavut
3. Yukon

On June 20, 1868, Canada’s Governor General proclaimed that Canadians should celebrate the anniversary of the confederation. In 1879, the date of July 1^st was designated a holiday known as Dominion Day. However, official celebrations didn’t take place until the 50th anniversary in 1917 and the 60th anniversary in 1927.

After World War II, Dominion Day was celebrated more often with organized events. And, after the 100^th anniversary of the confederation in 1967, Dominion Day events became more widespread. July 1st became known as Canada Day, and officially known as this from 1983 onwards. Since 2006, Canada Day celebrations have also been held in the UK at London’s Trafalgar Square.

For our Help Desk employees, Canada Day is just another workday. We plan to celebrate Canada Day just like the rest of our countrymen (and women!). But we do this by being here if you have any technical issues.

Our Help Desk is your front-line support for submitting incidents and service requests.

We say that we operate 24/7/365 and we mean it – Canada Day, Christmas, Boxing Day, Victoria Day, Easter – no matter the holiday or day of the week.

You’ll have direct access to the IT professionals who can help you onsite and provide the advice, guidance, and rapid restoration of services you need to keep your business running. 

When you call, one of our agents will log your request into our IT service management system and either resolve it for your then or escalate it to the next level of support.

You have the option of reporting an incident or service request by email or contacting us by phone. When you do, this will generate a “ticket” in our IT service management system.

Once the ticket is created, you’ll automatically receive an email receipt confirmation with your ticket or reference number. This confirmation tells you that your request has been logged at our Help Desk and that it’s been assigned to a tech specialist who knows your business and is experienced in your particular IT issue.

Here’s what we ask that you provide when submitting a request to our Help Desk:

• Your name, business name, phone number, and email address.
• A detailed description of the problem or concern.
• Whether the issue you’re experiencing affects only one user, many users, your entire office, or multiple offices.
• The impact your issue has on your business, including whether any critical applications have been affected.
• Anything you or your staff have done to try to resolve the issue before contacting us.

Prioritizing Tickets

It also helps if you prioritize your need. Here’s an example of what we mean:

• Non-Urgent: Your problem is minimal and doesn’t impact your ability to work. It’s something that could wait to be addressed within the next week. (For example, you’d like us to provide a new piece of computer equipment for you.)
• Normal: The IT issue has some impact on your day-to-day operations. However, you could wait for two days for it to be addressed. (For example, you’d like us to help you find a better way to use an application or replace it with a different one.)
• Urgent: The issue you face has significant impact on one user’s ability to work. You need help sometime during the workday.
• Emergency: This issue has significant team-wide impact on your staff’s ability to work. Multiple employees are affected. You need help as soon as possible, no matter if it’s after hours, over the weekend, or on a holiday (like Canada Day). This is for things like outages and downtime.

Please do your best not to prioritize something as “Urgent” or “Emergency” when it’s not. This helps us to get to those really urgent requests much faster.

We want you to know that you and your staff can enjoy Canada Day with the peace of mind that our Help Desk is always here for you. Happy Canada Day everyone!

When most organizations are presented with the words “Cyber Security,” they often start imagining how much it’s going to cost them to install and maintain strong security measures. At the same time, there’s that gnawing feeling of stress about what would happen if any data were lost to hackers. In light of that though, the investment in security for your network is well worth the cost.

The answer to that question is complicated. There are a number of variables to consider. For those who have endured a security breach and lost thousands of records, the answer is easy: Cyber Security protocols are always worth it.

You lose time and money if a breach occurs. Plus, your Brand can be damaged. And then, of course, there may be future lawsuits. What if a judge decides that your company was NOT doing everything possible to protect the personal information of its customers?

The average cost of a breach today is hovering around one million dollars and that makes it expensive for any business to deal with. Cybercriminals are relentless! They never take a vacation. Instead, they find new ways to get past all your best security efforts and steal your data. It’s worth a lot of money on the Dark Web and that’s how hackers earn a living. They steal data and sell it to the highest bidder.

Microsoft has a long history of dealing with Internet security problems. They’re probably one of the most experienced companies on the earth today. They build complex security systems from the ground up because they have quite a bit of data that needs protecting.

Many of their cybersecurity solutions are becoming the industry standard. That’s why they’re a good source of security products that can safeguard data on many levels. Below are some of their top cybersecurity products.

Leaked Credential Protection and Azure Active Directory

Most stolen credentials are obtained by hackers who breach vulnerable websites where passwords and usernames are stored in plain text. Typically, these websites have weak encryption. They’re an easy target for hackers.

Phishing attacks are designed to trick users into giving up their log-in information. All types of malware have been created that use deception to acquire names and passwords. Sometimes it’s not that hard to get this information because people don’t create strong passwords and/or they use similar passwords and usernames across different sites. This means that if one site is infiltrated, another site with similar credentials is also at risk.

Microsoft has built a standard set of processes and security layers with automated services such as Leaked Credential Protection and Azure Active Directory to ensure that users are always protected. They make it as difficult as possible for hackers to get past their security guards.

Office 365 ATP, Credential Guard, and Windows Hello

Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection, Credential Guard, and Windows Hello are specifically designed to protect against hackers getting to your data through phishing emails.

Windows Defender ATP, only available with the Microsoft 365 Enterprise E5 plan, provides security services that assist users in detecting advanced threats. The program then investigates and responds appropriately on their servers. For more info about Windows Defender ATP, you can visit the Microsoft Windows Security Threat Protection site.

Windows Defender Credential Guard uses virtualization-based security to separate the more critical data from normal data so that only authorized system software can access the information. Any attempts to bypass this Credential Guard will result in failure. Though hackers are always searching for workarounds, Microsoft is constantly adding patches and new layers of security.

Windows Hello, on the other hand, includes advanced technology that allows you to sign in to your Windows 10 device without using any password. You can sign in by using your face, fingerprint, or iris. How amazing! This means that if your device is stolen, no one will be able to gain access to the data stored on your device.

Windows Defender ATP and Windows Defender Anti-Virus

These are designed specifically to counter malware attacks by detecting, blocking, and responding to attacks. Malware attacks cost companies millions of dollars each year. With each new attack, the technology evolves. Individuals, but more importantly, organizations, should be ready to fight cyber-crime with the same kind of resilience and resolve shown by hackers.

With Windows Advanced Threat Protection and the Anti-Virus program, you are equipped to give the bad guys a good fight.

Wrap up

Some of the best hackers get their notoriety not because they were good, but because they were underestimated. Remember that hackers work 24/7/365. That puts them way ahead of most of us. It’s not possible to spend that amount of time protecting your data. That’s why good solid antivirus and security programs are so important. In the end, they are the best and most affordable option.

Simply put, when you are deciding about your cyber-security return on investment, the most important issue is keeping your data safe from hackers. This will save you money, stress, and time. You’ll avoid expensive data loss events that could cripple your organization and damage your reputation. With Microsoft security products, you can enjoy peace of mind knowing that you’re doing everything possible to stay a step ahead of hackers.

This article is basically an overview of what Microsoft Office 365 is. Virtually, there is nothing new especially to those who are already using Microsoft Office products; only a few enhancements to better your user experience. To start off, we will have a historical evolution of Office to give you a clear understanding of where we are coming from, and then explore Office in the Cloud and finally various Office 365 user scenarios.

Evolution of Office

Most of the Applications on Office are basically the same ones from ten years ago, only with a few improvements to increase efficiency.

In the past, when one needed a software upgrade, you bought it in a box and then had it manually installed on your device. What Office 365 has done is make it easier for you to access the upgrades to all the Office Applications you usually use.

This is to help you collaborate and communicate so you can get more work completed faster. Office 365 contains the normal Office Applications that most people are accustomed to such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Outlook. Office 365 has added a few helpful Apps to make your work easier such as Yammer, OneDrive, Skype, and OneNote.

• OneDrive for Business

This is an App where you store your business documents to save, view, and edit. You can also co-author or co-create content with colleagues.

• Skype

This App enables instant messaging, video, and voice calling and it is good at indicating whether you are at your desk, in a meeting, on a call, and even when you are away from your desk.

• Yammer

This is like a social network for an enterprise. You can follow groups, teams, comment, share ideas, provide feedback, and also store content.

• OneNote

This App is not new at all, but it is very useful for taking notes. It allows you to paste images, links, and store very different kinds of contents. It works like a digital notebook.

Office 365 Delivered Services

These are basically the services that Microsoft delivers to different organizations in order to enable them to use the technology reviewed above. They include helpful programs like PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, and OneNote. Microsoft recently purchased Skype and has integrated this program into their suite of products. It can be used for communications and holding virtual meetings on your desktop.

SharePoint is used for sharing documents and is integrated with OneDrive and Exchange which provides email functionality.

Delivered Services by Office 365 also offer the Office 365 programs for any device, whether powered by iOS, Android, or Windows. This means that you can access your stored data in Office 365 on any device or platform.

Office in the Cloud

Traditionally, an organization runs their Apps in a central data center owned and managed by them. On the other hand, Cloud is where a service provider like Microsoft can provide computer powered storage like a hard drive to other organizations to help them manage their data. A hybrid is using both the traditional and cloud methods to manage data. Advantages of using Cloud include flexibility, accessibility, reliability, manageability, and of course security.

Office Online

This is a service that enables you to access your Apps online and also your data.

Office 365 Scenarios

• Do it from anywhere

Office 365 gives you access to any device to enable you to work from anywhere. This is because files and settings are synced across devices. You can easily create, edit, and share documents and even access them on a mobile device. One Note is also your digital notebook and you can take notes anywhere anytime and all your devices will be updated with the new information.

• OneDrive for Business

OneDrive for Business works with SharePoint to store, sync, and share your work files. You can co-create and co-author documents with colleagues. You don’t have to be together or even working from the same location. You can keep refining and make changes from anywhere.

• SharePoint

SharePoint allows you to better manage your content. You can also collaborate on documents with your colleagues.

• Skype for Business

The features of Skype allow you to connect with anyone via instant messaging (IM), video calls, and online meetings. Skype has the ability to turn the instant messenger into a phone or video call. You can record sessions to use later or share with others.

• Yammer

This is the social network guru for your office. It allows discussions, ideas, and input without necessarily holding a meeting.

More information can be found on:

support.office.com

www.microsoft.com/en-ca/site/work-wonders

Wrap Up

The best way to learn is to explore. Get Microsoft Office 365 and start using the awesome features. It is user-friendly and totally worth your investment. Microsoft saves you time and makes work very easy.

2018 Top Cybercrime Facts and Why You Should Care

2017 saw some of the most devastating high-profile cyber attacks in the history of business. This happened despite tech giants constantly releasing security patches and updates. As the number of such attacks continues to rise, 2018 requires businesses of all sizes to be even more prepared given that cyber-criminals are not often selective when choosing their targets.

Below are some startling cybercrime facts that should inform your approach to cybersecurity in 2018 and beyond.

A hacker attacks an internet-connected computer every 39 seconds in the US.

The University of Maryland’s Clark School recently found that that 1 in every 3 Americans has already been on the receiving end of a cyber-attack.

While this statistic may apply to the United States, your business does not have to be located there for you to care. Cybercriminals exist on the World Wide Web and do not discriminate their targets based on geographies when perpetrating their crime. So, you can never really tell when you’re going to be targeted.

1 in 5 businesses faced at least 25-hours’ downtime from ransomware attacks in 2017.

Ransomware is the form of malware (malicious software) that a bad actor injects into your computer enabling them to take control of your system, denying you access to your data and threatening you with harm unless you pay up. The attacker usually demands a ransom in exchange for access to your files, even though, in some instances, the criminals do not fully grant access. Paying the ransom doesn’t always guarantee that everything will be restored.

A survey by Osterman Research found that ransomware attacks were the most common in 2017, leading to massive losses to businesses from the inflicted downtime. Many businesses had to shut down their systems for extended periods of time – up to 100 hours or longer.

Small to medium-sized businesses are increasingly vulnerable to cyber-attacks.

The number of SMBs that experienced a cyber-attack over the course of 2017 was 61 percent. This number was 55 percent in the previous year. Approximately 54 percent of these organizations lost employee and customer data due to cyber theft.

This information is consistent with a separate survey that found smaller organizations to be increasingly targeted because of their tendency to discover security breaches late. Small Business Trends reports that the percentage of cyber-attacks targeting small organizations rose from 15 to 43 percent of total attacks between 2011 and 2015. Smaller businesses and organizations tend to have fewer cybersecurity resources, hence are a favorite target for ransomware and crypto-jacking attacks.

Most threats emanate from the employees.

The human element within organizations remains the main point of weakness as far as cyber security is concerned. Negligent employees or contractors result in up to 54 percent of all data breaches. This is up from 48 percent the year before, according to the Ponemon Institute’s 2017 report on the State of Cybersecurity in Small and Medium-sized Businesses.

Cybercriminals frequently target the workforce with malicious emails and websites which an employee may easily click on, setting themselves up for malware attacks.

One recommended way to mitigate these kinds of threats is to train employees to practice some level of cybersecurity housekeeping. This can include simple acts such as logging out of their systems, not logging into company databases from unsecured Wi-Fi, as well as keeping their passwords secret.

Reminding employees of the importance of such good cybersecurity practices can go a long way in staving off ransomware and other cyber threats.

Global toll of ransomware attacks hit $5 billion in 2017.

Estimates indicate that the cost of ransomware damage reached $5 billion in 2017, which is more than 15 times the cost incurred in 2015; barely two years earlier. Businesses experience massive losses in downtime, related fines, and productivity losses. The actual amount of the ransom you pay only comprises a fraction of this overall cost.

The annual cost of cybercrime projected to reach $6 trillion by 2021.

The global toll of cybercrime damage is estimated to hit a whopping $6 trillion annually by 2021. This is because state-sponsored hacking and organized crime are projected to rise steeply making cybercrime more profitable compared to the worldwide drug trade. Unlike drug traffickers, cyber-criminals are difficult to catch and rarely are punished for their crimes.

Cybercrime continues to become more lucrative, making it more appealing to prospective and current perpetrators. And with the growing sophistication of the tech world, you can expect the tactics that cybercriminals use to evolve.

What can be done?

Expert assessments hold that organizations can strengthen their cybersecurity through some very basic measures. These foundational steps can readily be implemented.

Since most of the successful cyber attacks exploit the human element, plugging this loophole can work for both small and big companies alike. Start by educating your personnel about the cybersecurity Dos and Don’ts  through such simple acts as putting up memos around the office with messages such as “do not share your password with anyone” or “log out the system when you finish.” Ask a local IT expert to come out and speak to your employees about the importance of cybersecurity.

Adopt the use of more secure emerging technologies.

Organizations that use various emerging solutions that are more hardwired to withstand cyber threats, such as Microsoft Office 365 products, report better protection against cyber-attacks. In light of the increasing cyber threats, consider using solutions that can not only detect existing threats, but also pre-empt, investigate, and respond to new threats even before they are executed. Most experts agree that the proactive approach to cybersecurity is the best way to go.

Exploring strategies for understanding and responding to online gaming addiction

It’s no secret that professionals across the healthcare and technology industries have been scratching their heads about online gaming for years. More and more, professionals – particularly in the healthcare sector – have developed a growing concern about just how impactful online gaming can be – especially for the smartphone generation.

For modern youth who spend an increasing amount of time plugged into laptops and smartphones, professionals worry that the allure of online gaming can result in a downright addiction—an addiction that results in irrational cravings and an uncontrollable need to keep playing.

There’s no doubt that just like with any other addiction, this type of compulsive online game use can have serious detrimental consequences in the real lives of over-users. A strong compulsion for internet games can have negative impacts on youth relationships, schooling, and employment, in addition to their physical and mental health. That’s why, healthcare professionals across the globe are emphasizing the need to recognize over-gaming for what it is – a behavioral addiction.

Concerns Take Effect: World Health Organization Declares Gaming Disorder as Classified Disease

Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that ‘gaming disorder’ will be officially recognized under their International Classification of Diseases. This is an incredibly significant move by the WHO and the formal classification will greatly improve awareness and understanding of the disorder. Further, with a formal classification, impacted youth and families will have more options for treatment, help, and funding.

The official WHO classification defines online gaming addiction as such:

“…impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other interests and daily activities, and continuation of escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences.”

Thanks to this informed decision by the WHO, families looking for more serious and dynamic treatment options will have global support behind them. This means the opening up of spots for gaming addicts at inpatient clinics and long-term rehabilitation facilities.

Keeping a Watchful Eye: Is Your Child Showing Signs of Gaming Addiction?

Understandably, the WHO announcement has many parents giving a second thought about their own children’s online habits. Young kids play video games – this is not a new phenomenon and games are not inherently dangerous to kids. However, there are key warning signs to be on the lookout for if you’re concerned your child’s gaming borders on over-use or addiction.

Check out these top 4 warning signs to ensure your child’s game use isn’t out of control:

1.     Preoccupation & Compulsion

Does your child spend all their time playing a specific game or set of games? Do they have a hard time talking about anything else when they are offline? If your child seems to have a compulsive need to log on and play or if they can’t seem to think or talk about anything else, gaming addiction could be present.

2.     Over Spending Time & Money

Are you constantly catching your child red-eyed and up way past a normal bedtime, playing an online game? Does your child have a habit of overspending their money or yours on video-game related purchases? If all your child’s time and money are being directed toward their game use, they could be suffering from gaming addiction.

3.     Erratic Emotions

Does your child get irrationally emotional when they are unable to access or play their game? Do they get very defensive when you question them about their game use? Does your child have strong emotional reactions when they aren’t doing well in their game? If you notice that your child’s emotions are hard to regulate and seem to spike and drop based on gaming outcomes, it may be time to get professional help.

4.     Neglecting Other Areas of Life

Has your child recently seen their grades drop? Does your child often ask to stay home sick from school just to spend the day playing games? Does your child neglect their part-time job, friendships, or extra-curricular activities in order to game? If so, your child is likely struggling with a serious addiction to gaming.

A Playbook for Parents: How to Curb the Risk of Gaming Addiction in Your Kids

All of this information is understandably worrisome for parents – especially as the younger generations become more and more reliant on technology for occupation and entertainment. That’s why, no matter how frightening gaming addiction seems, there are always concrete strategies for parents and kids to rely on, in hopes of stopping addiction in its tracks.

Check out these strategies for managing gaming addiction:

1.    Recognize the Cravings

First things first, there has to be an acknowledgment of a problem. Understanding that your child has compulsive cravings for a game will help remind both you and them that this is a disorder. Recognize when the cravings to play happen and try to get to the root cause.

2.    Get Active, Get Outside, Reconnect with Friends

Encourage your child to physically move their body. Exercise or team sports are a great way to get positive endorphins pumping. Encourage your child to spend time with friends, go outside, and become more active. This can be a great first step in breaking the cycle of addictive behavior.

3.     Be Aware of Viral Games

For today’s social media generation, a new game can go viral in no time at all. This is a huge trigger for kids who have a tendency to get addicted quickly. With all their friends talking about how awesome a new game is, kids will want to see what all the hype is about. Knowing what to look for is half the battle, so make sure to keep an eye on new games that are sweeping kids up in a viral tornado.

4.    Be Firm

No one likes giving tough love – especially when we know our kids are struggling. But unfortunately, tough love will be required in the fight against gaming addiction. There will be times when your child is begging you to play for just one more hour. They may get nasty and try to disobey your rules. Do your best to remain firm.

5.    Enlist Tech Help  

In the struggle to face gaming addiction head-on, it may be helpful to install some kind of parental controls, making it harder for your kids to spend unattended time online. There are various tools available to block sites and monitor your children’s internet use so you can make sure their habits aren’t out of control.

No matter what approach you take, staying in-tune with your kids’ gaming habits and internet use is a noble task for all parents. The world our children are growing up in is increasingly digital and they’re faced with countless games and apps to avert their attention and get them hooked. Parents need not snatch away the smart-phone every time, but they do need to stay on high alert to make sure tech use doesn’t escalate into compulsion and addiction.

If you’re worried about your child’s online gaming or internet use and aren’t sure how to get better control of the issue, why not reach out to a local team of IT experts. IT professionals are well-versed in a variety of solutions that will help you better monitor and manage your kid’s online activities.

You don’t have to ban the internet completely, but you shouldn’t ignore the issue either. Consult a local team of tech specialists to help find a happy medium that will keep your kids healthy, safe, and connected. 

Common Security Threats and How Microsoft Security Helps Mitigate Them

In the middle of all this, we find every organization’s weakest link as far as cyber security is concerned: the human element. Untrained employees, who comprise a huge percentage of the workforce in most organizations, will readily click malicious URLs or browse suspicious websites. All without realizing that they may be enabling malicious scripts to run and allowing weaponized documents to get past their systems’ standard defenses.

Bad actors are well aware of these human tendencies and are always out to exploit them in dozens of different ways. This represents a few of the numerous ways in which organizations are susceptible to potential cyber-attacks.

Attack vectors that commonly lead to data leaks within organizations

Security threats within an organization can originate from within the organization or from outside.

Internal threat

The threat originates from within the organization itself and includes acts of espionage or various methods of employee data theft.

External sharing of sensitive information

In some instances, a competitor or some other party interested in the company’s data can approach an employee and offer them payment in exchange for sensitive, privileged information.

Compromised employees or industrial spies may share sensitive data with outsiders. They pose a serious internal threat to data security.

Lost device(s)

With mobile or remote employees, a lost device may fall into the hands of anyone who can then access their files and download them for use in any harmful way.

Mobile employees, especially cloud users, may also attempt to log into the company’s database remotely from an unknown PC. If the PC is infected, this can seriously compromise the security of the data itself.

External threat

This threat is initiated by forces from outside the organization and often exploits various weaknesses in the data security system or network infrastructure. Unintentional data leakage can occur through any of the following:

Phishing attack

Phishing refers to the fraudulent attempt by bad actors to obtain sensitive information including usernames, passwords, and sometimes credit card data – depending on the intentions of the attacker. They often do this by disguising themselves as a trustworthy party in electronic communication methods such as emails.

Normally, the data thief creates a Web page replicating an existing one to trick a user into submitting their personal, financial, or login details that the cybercriminal can then use for illicit purposes.

In many cases, the untrained individual receives an email from what appears to be a reliable source asking for reauthentication. Upon clicking the link and providing the requested information – often a username and password – this individual allows the attacker to infect their machine with malware. The cyber thief may additionally be able to steal the individual’s identity.

Once an employee’s device is compromised, the attack can spread throughout the organization in any of the following forms.

Internal sharing of malware

Through an infected device, an attacker can spread the malware throughout the organization’s network. They may be able to access various databases to which the victim has privileged access. They can then steal whatever data they want once the network is compromised.

Identity theft

With stolen credentials, an attacker will have unrestricted access to sensitive information while disguised as an employee. A stolen identity gives the bad actor an easy way into the organization’s network. Once inside, they can set about moving around, searching for sensitive information to steal while impersonating a legitimate user.

How Microsoft Security increases your protection against these threats   

Microsoft has multiple ways in which it can increase your protection against various threat scenarios at different levels. For starters, there is the Windows Defender Antivirus program which could block known threats on user’s devices.

Microsoft also has the Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection program that can detect, investigate, and respond to new or unknown threats using the power of AI – eventually mitigating the infection on personal devices.

Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection allows for a reputation check, making sure that the URLs you’re clicking on are legitimate. This can be a great way to safeguard employees from phishing attacks.

This also comes with Multifactor Authentication that is specifically designed to prevent hackers from logging in to the potential victim’s account. This is a perfect way to protect users from identity theft. Requiring the device to be compliant also helps prevent the spread of malware from one infected device to another.

Cloud Protection

Microsoft has the Office 365 Cloud App Security which spots abnormal behavior. This means it can prevent intentional data leakage and seal off that loophole.

To protect the data itself, Microsoft has Azure Information Protection which allows for policy controls to be put in place ensuring that only certain people can view these files.

Intune, a security management tool, also allows users to create conditional access rules in their device around the data itself. This ensures the safety of data in the case of a lost device or attempted login from unknown PCs. An untrusted device wouldn’t be able to access files protected by Intune.

Conclusion

With these protection metrics, Microsoft 365 is the go-to solution for any organization. These security measures work to safeguard your network from various security threats by preventing, controlling, detecting, and responding to any threat scenario.