Author: Stuart Crawford

When we think of Memorial Day, we have visions of parades, going to the beach, enjoying a picnic in the park, or gathering with family and friends for a barbeque. But, as most of us know, this is a special day to honor military members who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Many of us will be visiting the gravesites and memorials of the men and women who served and died performing military service for our country.

The History Of Memorial Day

This year, Memorial Day is on Monday, May 28^th. Memorial Day was first known as Decoration Day. It originally honored only those who lost their lives while fighting in the Civil War. In the spring of 1865 at the end of the Civil War, people throughout the U.S. held tributes to fallen soldiers by decorating their graves with flowers on Decoration Day.

General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, proclaimed that the first Decoration Day be observed each year on May 30th.  On the first Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery where 5,000 attendees decorated the graves of the more than 20,000 soldiers from both the Union and Confederacy. It was during this time that the federal government established the first national cemeteries.

Americans in the northern states followed suit with their own commemorative events, and by 1890 each recognized Decoration Day an official state holiday. Southern states honored their dead on separate days.

After World War I, the holiday evolved to commemorate American military members who died in all wars. In 1966, the federal government declared Waterloo, New York as the official birthplace of Memorial Day. They chose this city because, on May 5, 1866, Waterloo closed businesses so residents had a day where they could decorate the graves of soldiers.

However, a number of other cities claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day. These include:

• Columbus, Mississippi
• Richmond, Virginia
• Macon, Georgia
• Carbondale, Illinois
• Boalsburg, Pennsylvania

In 1968, the U.S. Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which established Memorial Day as the last Monday in May. It went into effect in 1971 and Memorial Day has been designated a federal holiday ever since.

In the year 2000, President Clinton signed the “National Moment of Remembrance Act,” which designates 3:00 p.m. local time on each Memorial Day as the National Moment of Remembrance.

Today, cities and towns across America hold Memorial Day parades each year along with military personnel and members of veterans’ organizations. Some of the largest parades take place in Washington, D.C., New York, and Chicago.

What Will You Be Doing On Memorial Day?

When Congress made Memorial Day into a mandatory three-day weekend with the National Holiday Act of 1971, it, unfortunately, caused some to think of it as a vacation weekend and to be distracted from the spirit and meaning of the day.

Some people confuse Memorial Day with Veterans Day. Veterans Day is a commemoration of all the individuals who have served or are currently serving in the nation’s armed forces.

Memorial Day was specifically enacted to honor those who died while serving the country. Because we also think of it as a “beginning of summer” celebration, this can tend to minimize the true meaning of Memorial Day.

Because of this, Hawaii Senator Daniel Inouye, a World War II veteran, introduced a Congressional measure to return Memorial Day to May 30 in 1987. He continued to do so every year until his death in 2012. In 1999, he wrote:

“Mr. President, in our effort to accommodate many Americans by making the last Monday in May, Memorial Day, we have lost sight of the significance of this day to our nation. Instead of using Memorial Day as a time to honor and reflect on the sacrifices made by Americans in combat, many Americans use the day as a celebration of the beginning of summer.” ³

Honoring Our Fallen Military Members

Without the sacrifice of the men and women in our Armed Forces, we wouldn’t enjoy the freedoms we have today. Even if you’re having fun celebrating this Memorial Day holiday, we should all take a moment to remember them.

Civil War – Approximately 620,000 Americans died. The Union lost almost 365,000 troops and the Confederacy about 260,000. More than half of these deaths were caused by disease.

World War I – 116,516 Americans died, more than half from disease.

World War II – 405,399 Americans died.

Korean War – 36,574 Americans died.

Vietnam Conflict – 58,220 Americans died.

Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm – 383 service members died.

Operation Iraqi Freedom – 4,411 service members died.

Operation New Dawn – 73 service members died.

Operation Enduring Freedom – 2,346 service members died.

Operation Freedom’s Sentinel – 48 service members have died as of May 2018.

Operation Inherent Resolve – 61 service members have died as of May 2018. ¹

A national moment of remembrance occurs at 3:00 p.m. local time on Memorial Day. Please join us in taking the time to remember and thank all of our fallen military members.

1. https://www.cnn.com/2013/05/23/us/memorial-day-fast-facts/index.html
2. https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/memorial-day-history
3. http://people.com/celebrity/why-happy-memorial-day-is-inappropriate/

Microsoft has released the fifth major update to its Windows 10 operating system, complete with a whole bevy of exciting changes and helpful features. This latest iteration is designed to improve performance and productivity while focusing more on security.

The Windows 10 April 2018 Update has been codenamed, Redstone 4 and is now available worldwide for updates to any device running a Windows operating system. It includes a better array of media creation tools in order to meet the growing demands of users who enjoy posting to Instagram and Pinterest.

There are quite a few solid features with this new release that should make life a little easier for those who use their smartphone for just about everything. However, there were major additions to desktop and laptop computers as well. Microsoft is focused on improving its browser, MS Edge, but Chrome is still the preferred choice for most users. Other improvements to Windows Subsystem for Linux and Windows Defender should increase the product’s flexibility and security.

Cortana carries the day on the desktop experience

There are substantial changes to the Cortana assistant. The new Windows version has experienced a complete overhaul of the Cortana Notebook. It now features tabs and card-based items making it more responsive and easier to use. Lists and reminders are now on the organizer tab and the options to change most of the Cortana settings are now on the Manage Skills tab.

The default skill in the Notebook on Cortana now features a set of tips for questions that you can ask Cortana to get you started. To use this feature, you can either type the question, tap the suggestion, or simply talk to Cortana and the information you want will pop up.

Cortana’s Notebook is now available in more countries and in more languages, with quite a few performance improvements. Not to mention that you’ll now see your account picture in the left rail going forward.

There is something else that’s new with the Lists experience on Windows 10: Cortana Collections. This is an addition that allows Cortana to notice and remember things like restaurants, recipes, movies, books, TV shows, and more for you without you necessarily having to do anything.

What’s new on the desktop

Right-clicking the Windows Defender Security Center icon on the desktop now brings new options including:

• A quick scan
• Update definitions
• Change notifications
• Launch the Windows Defender app

OneDrive in File Explorer now shows a cloud status icon that tells you the sync state of files on the various folders.

Windows 10 has introduced a new Game bar with a fresh design, settings that are easier to use, and an updated clock. You’ll also see new buttons to turn on the microphone and camera and capture and edit your Mixer stream title.

The Start menu now includes Reveal highlights, an interactive visualization feature that helps you navigate and interact with apps. This feature will be noticeable while hovering over items in Live Tiles and the “All apps” list. Furthermore, right-clicking the Microsoft Store app and selecting the More option now brings a menu with a Settings option included. Clicking this takes you straight to the settings page for that app.

Action Center on the new Windows now supports a two-finger touch gesture to dismiss all notifications. It also automatically saves as drafts any notification responses dismissed by accident. The “a” / “p” format for indicating the 12-hour clock timestamp has changed to “am” / “pm”.

Nearby Sharing. This is a new feature on the updated Windows 10 that allows for sharing of web links and files wirelessly to nearby devices via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connectivity.

Changes and additions to settings experience

The Windows Settings app has received a major facelift. It now features an innovative homepage with smaller icons and their titles to the right.

Microsoft has introduced a house icon for the home button, acrylic material effects on the left side of sections, and a lot of other improvements and tweaks to various categories of settings. This includes three new automatic rules under Focus Assist (formerly Quiet hours), an option for changing the font that the system uses (under Pen & Windows Ink). You can now select your own security questions as an option for recovering your account in case of forgotten sign-in information.

Major change on input

Microsoft has updated its Emoji panel data so that it will show emojis as you type related words using the touch keyboard.

Microsoft system additions

Microsoft is phasing out the HomeGroup service in favor of the more contemporary sharing tools like Share, OneDrive, and Nearby Sharing.

Many users will love the introduction of Windows Defender Application Guard to their default antivirus program, Windows Defender. This addition is a security feature that isolates pages you are viewing on Microsoft Edge from Windows and from one another as a way to provide an additional layer of security from malware and zero-day attacks.

Finally, it is now possible for Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) on Windows 10 to run mixed instances of Linux. The process can also now run in the background even after closing the console.

As you can see, Microsoft has been working hard to make its Windows 10 software the best it can be. We hope that you find this guide informative and as useful as the Windows update itself.

The Hurricane and Tropical Storm Season officially starts on June 1st. But we heard just now that Louisiana sent out storm and flood warnings for Alberto.

Alberto is a strong tropical storm that’s been gathering strength in the Gulf of Mexico for a few days. It’s not too late to prepare, especially if you live in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, anywhere in Louisiana or along the Gulf Coast.

It only takes one storm to change your life, your business, and your community.

Hurricanes are among nature’s most powerful and devastating storms. But, tropical storms can sometimes be just as bad. If you live or work in an area prone to hurricanes, or even areas well away from coastlines that can be hit with dangerous flooding, destructive winds, and tornadoes, you need to get ready now.

What should you do?

Follow these basic steps to protect your business:

1. Establish a business-continuity/disaster-recovery plan for your technology. Back up your data to a secure offsite location. If a hurricane or tropical storm strikes your area, and you lose power, or your place of business is damaged, a properly implemented plan ensures you can retrieve your critical data and services.
2. Consider cloud services. Data centers have systems in place to protect them from the most violent storms.  Almost everything can be stored in the cloud today, from email servers, desktop systems, telephone services and much more.  Storing your business data and services in the cloud ensures that if your office is out of commission, your business isn’t.
3. Install power-protection systems and backup power. A generator is a great investment to provide alternate power if a hurricane shuts down your electricity. Generators can run for days, providing power to critical systems and battery-backup systems.  It allows for all systems to be properly shut down and protected from surges when power is cut and comes back on.

There are many more Hurricane and Storm Readiness strategies that your business should establish. 

We’re here to help. If you need confirmation that your computer systems, backups, and telephones can survive the next big storm, we can check this out for you.  

One of our talented staff members has gained a key certification that will allow our team to further improve service quality to clients: Level 2 Datto Specialist.

 

Delphi Systems is thrilled to announce that network engineer Alex Moore is now a Level 2 Datto Technical Specialist!

Alex passed the Datto Technical Specialist Level 2 certification exam with flying colors, earning a certification that will allow them to provide more insightful and skilled troubleshooting and networking services for businesses that rely on Datto solutions. When our technicians put in the time and effort needed to build new skill sets and expand their knowledge bases, our business — and more importantly, our clients — benefit from the results.

Datto is an industry leader in backup and business continuity thanks to their near-decade of experience and comprehensive expertise in the field. Many — including the Delphi Systems team — consider their systems to be the “next generation” of backup systems.

With more than 8,000 partners around the world, Datto offers a range of solutions to care for data requirements from 150 GB to 100 TB:

• Datto SIRIS 3
• Datto ALTO XL
• Datto ALTO 2
• Datto NAS.

The foundation of the majority of Datto’s solutions is the physical hardware appliance.  In most cases this appliance continuously takes snapshots of all servers (Windows/Mac/Linux), and maintains efficiency because it only synchronizes data that has changed since the last snapshot, therefore reducing the overall impact on the servers in question.

After checking the images for consistency, the Datto appliance uploads them to a data center on each coast. Once per night, the appliance mounts the images and runs them as a VM – checking to make sure they boot properly, as an automated backup integrity test. Should the images fail to boot, alerts are issued system-wide.

We do not hesitate to recommend Datto for nearly all typical business data protection needs. Recoverability is a focus with Datto, and you will definitely get your systems back up and running in the event of an outage.

Alex’s newly-gained level of expertise enhances the services we’re able to offer to our clients’ businesses, and we couldn’t be more proud of Alex’s accomplishment. Congratulations!

Want to learn more about our IT expertise and the many solutions we offer? Get in touch with Delphi Systems right away at (403) 380-3343 or info@delphisystems.ca.

Changes in technology come with a variety of challenges. First, there is the need to change and adapt to the new advancements. There are always financial costs associated with this process. The effects of technology are often widespread. Some people are concerned that new products and programs will put them out of work. The new developments in robotics are a good example. Many workers are concerned that their jobs will be taken over by robots in the future.

If the past is any indication, this will not happen. What usually occurs is that the human workers do see a shift in the type of work they do, but they rarely are put out of work completely. Often, technological changes are a good thing. They make everyone’s job easier and remove all those boring, redundant tasks that no one wanted to do in the first place.

Technology in the accounting sector

The world of accounting has attracted numerous technological discoveries. These new programs reduce the error margin which leads to a more reliable outcome. Accounting programs can perform most tasks much easier than human beings and with more accuracy. This saves time and money for both the accountant and their customer. In the past, errors in financial reports or tax returns could cause quite a bit of trouble for everyone involved. With a good accounting program and someone to input the correct data, these errors are greatly reduced.

Stiff competition

Technology has increased the competition for accounting firms. Before the adoption of technology, accounting firms depended mostly on the skills of the employees of the firms. This meant, therefore, that competition was shaped by the accuracy and expertise of the workers in a firm. The credentials of an accounting firm’s employees went a long way in attracting a clientele.

In the world today, however, competition among accounting firms is shaped by technology. The first question that today’s client wants to know is which accounting software do you use. Everyone has a favorite accounting software and some people have a distinct dislike of certain programs. The one thing that software developers have learned over the years is to make all software as user friendly as possible. Accounting programs that require a genius to figure out don’t last very long. Everyone is searching for something they can learn quickly.

Increases in accounting fees

Modern accounting firms have raised their fees over the years, but so have all the other professions. Just try finding a lawyer who will work for $100 per hour. This was once a huge amount of money but today’s attorney’s charge an average of $300 per hour. Technology hasn’t made their fees any cheaper but it does make the job of billing clients much simpler.

The increase in accounting fees is attributable to a wide range of factors. The software purchase, maintenance, and renewal of licenses can be a big initial expense. Of course, with each new program that is released, that expensive software you just purchased may become obsolete overnight. For this reason, many accounting professionals choose monthly subscriptions. This concept allows an accounting firm to get the most advanced software on the market. The monthly subscription fee includes regular updates. This means that your software will never be obsolete. Usually, regular maintenance and support is included in your monthly charge as well. Many websites include training for your employees.

Most accountants will say that they enjoy and appreciate this type of convenience. They can focus on working with their customers. They don’t even have to think about whether their software is working okay and contains the latest changes in tax law. Everything works like it’s supposed to and if you have a problem, simply call the vendor and they will fix things straightaway.

Accounting programs do everything from reconciling bank statements to sending invoices to customers. Though these programs will never replace humans, they make their work much easier. They give the accountant time to find ways to help their clients save money.

Filing taxes

This task has always been stressful for individuals and business owners alike. There’s just no getting around paying your taxes though. Benjamin Franklin said that nothing in this life is certain except for death and taxes. Whether you own a small business or work for an employer, doing your taxes on time and correctly each year is imperative. If accounting software didn’t do anything except our taxes, it would be well worth it.

A good accounting program can help you keep track of your expenses throughout the year. You no longer need a shoebox for all those receipts. When it’s time to file your taxes, you can import all that data into the tax filing software and save yourself lots of time. Many people are still not comfortable doing their own taxes and since IRS penalties are often severe, it may be best to hire a good accountant to do them for you. Tax time is the busiest time of year for accountants.

Final thoughts

For accountants, technology has overall been very positive. The role of accountants has changed because of reliable software programs like Xero. Your accountant has the time to talk to you about saving money on your tax return, investing in new property, and ways to save on supplies. The role of the accountant has changed some due to technological advancements, but the changes have all been good.

Succeeding in a non-profit organization in this day and time requires unique strategies. Technology is advancing at ever-increasing speeds and challenges even the best organizations on every level. The world has seemingly gone completely digital with Millennials now using smartphones for everything they do.

A recent survey showed that only one-fifth of all Millennials have ever written a check.  And yet, checks are the most popular way that people have given to charities in the past. Today’s consumers rely on electronic payment methods such as Paypal, Venmo and Apple Pay. This applies to their charitable giving as well. While Baby Boomers and Gen X are still largely using an organization’s website for their giving, the new generation of consumers uses their mobile phones.

People enjoy supporting a good cause

Surveys also show that Millennials are conscientious about charities. They have a deep abiding desire to help make the world a better place and they’re willing to give their time and money to make this happen. The best solution is to make it as quick and easy as possible. More and more charitable organizations are learning this lesson. Going mobile and digital provides you with unique ways to make the giving as painless as possible. Large organizations like the Red Cross, give you the ability to donate by texting an amount of money to a 5-digit number. It’s just that easy. There’s nothing to fill out. No credit card information to worry about.

In a highly digitalized world where new inventions amaze and amuse us all, nonprofits face a more critical challenge than others when it comes to fund-raising. In the past, non-profits have been seen as entities that were slow to accept change. Some charities continue to do business the way they always have. This has prevented them from maintaining proper relevance in our world. In order to influence social change, non-profits must stay ahead of the curve.

Dealing with a tight budget

If nothing else gets the attention of these older, less-flexible non-profits, their tight budgets will. Effective fundraising is all about appealing to today’s savvy consumer. It’s about getting their attention with a message that speaks to the heart.

On the journey to change the world, a non-profit must increase their revenue while continually managing their resources wisely. People don’t give to organizations who waste resources and ignore their relationship with constituents. Most charitable givers want to support organizations that strive to make every dollar count. Below are a few additional tips for today’s non-profit organization.

Tell a compelling story

Most charities do have a good story about how they began. Perhaps the Director went through a rough time and was homeless for a period. Now he or she is helping other homeless people turn their lives around. Many times, when people go through a really rough time in their lives, they want to somehow make things better for others who will travel the same road. Take the time and spend the money to hire a professional writer to flesh out this story so that it’s compelling and heartfelt. Sharing your story with others is a way to endear people. It’s an excellent method of moving from a distance right into someone’s true lifestyle.

Improve constituent relationships

Stay in constant contact with your givers. Be sure to make those communications as interactive as possible. Send regular updates about how your organization is doing or current projects you’re involved in. Don’t let your only contact with the public be all about donations. Make people feel like they are part of something dynamic, something that matters. It may be a good idea to have a team that focuses only on relationships with donors.

Stay relevant

Some organizations purposely stay out of politics, religion, etc. Though it’s difficult to walk that tightrope between staying relevant and remaining neutral, this is important for most people today. If there are earth-shaking events going on around the world, find a way to talk about these things in your monthly newsletter without being preachy. Many times, global disasters and political unrest can be a time to connect with your core base and see how they feel about these events. It can be a time to create stronger bonds with supporters if handled correctly.

Make it easy for supporters to give time and money

Make donating as flexible as possible. Meet people exactly where they are in their lives. An older person may want to mail a check, while a teenager will want to use a mobile wallet. Middle-aged people still pay bills, donate to charities and conduct other business online. They trust the internet and have become comfortable with surfing the web. Regardless of where someone is in terms of their technology level, meet them there where they feel safe.

Understand the demographics of givers

Demographics are an important tool used by marketing agencies. Specific data about consumers is collected and broken down so that it reveals personal information about customers. For instance, if you’re selling sports cars, you’ll want to reach a younger group of people with lots of expendable income. Paint a picture of exactly who your primary customer is. Someone looking for an expensive sports car might be a male 20-35 years old whose income is over $200k per year. Just the same way marketing agencies need this information about potential buyers, a charitable organization does as well. When you know your supporters personally, you can connect with them on a more human level. That’s when your organization will finally achieve its mission statement and goals. This is also where organizations begin to make the most difference in the world.

Final Thoughts

With the world changing so rapidly, it’s no wonder that technological advancements sometimes astound us. A non-profit cannot be seen as inflexible and antiquated if they want to compete. Though their values should always remain old-fashioned, the way they operate must be on a level with a Fortune 500 company. An organization must stay up to date on our evolving society. Attitudes change and they can do so quickly with the great flux of information coming at us each day. Stay in tune with these events and you’ll stay connected with a group of donors who are excited about supporting your cause.

Today is the day…doing business in the EU?  You need to be compliant with GDPR.

Watch our informative GDPR training online today.

The General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) have made headlines for some time now and the deadline for compliance is fast approaching. Many have wondered why these regulations are so important and whether they will be affected. If your business is located in the United States or Canada, why do you need to be concerned?

What are the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)

The GDPR are European Union Data Protection Regulations designed to protect the personal data of consumers in Europe. The regulations have put in place various measures to ensure that personal data is well protected from hackers. In this age where the cases of hacking and cyber-crimes are on the rise, these measures are crucial. The new regulations will come into effect on 25^th May, 2018.

These regulations govern various aspects of data handling. They govern methods of handling data collection, data storage, data processing and data destruction. These regulations apply even when there are no financial implications in the transaction. Many organizations will be affected including companies that monitor the behavior of EU residents. They also cover anyone in the world who does business with a company in Europe. This includes many Canadian and American companies. If your business buys, sells or transacts business with a European company, then you must adhere to the provisions of the GDPR.

What happens in the case of non-compliance?

The GDPR requires that all companies that handle or deal with personal data belonging to European Union citizens comply with the regulations. Companies that fail to comply with these regulations will receive penalties and fines. The penalty imposed is calculated based on the company’s global annual turnover of the preceding financial year. It is set at 4% of the global annual turnover of the company or €20 million whichever is greater for non-compliance. Companies that are found guilty of less serious breaches of the regulations are faced with a penalty of 2% of the company’s global annual turnover or €10 million, whichever is greater.

How do these regulations affect United States based companies?

The GDPR rules apply to all companies that deal with data affecting or belonging to EU citizens. This means that people who own data processing companies with a global outreach are affected by the regulations. As has been noted, simply collecting data, even before financial agreements are reached puts the company within the purview of these Regulations. The GDPR also affects companies that deal in surveillance and monitoring of behavior, so long as the data collected belongs to a citizen of the EU.

How to comply

Knowing that the GDPR applies to your company and that the penalties for non-compliance or for breach are dire, it is important that all companies affected by these regulations take steps to ensure compliance before the May 25^th deadline. There are various ways of complying with these regulations including:

Conduct an audit of your company

This enables the owners of the company to decide exactly which steps to take to comply with the regulations. The questions that you need to ask yourself while conducting this audit include; how is your data collected, where do you store your data, why do you collect that particular kind of data and when you are done with the data, how is it destroyed?

Audit your data service providers

You need to be sure that your service providers are GDPR compliant. This will ensure that the services that they provide to your company adhere to the provisions of the regulations.

Be sure that you understand new regulations

One particular regulation that may differ from general data protection regulations is the right to be forgotten. This basically means that citizens of the European Union reserve the right to request that their data be deleted from computer servers. EU citizens also reserve the right to have their data kept in a particular format and to have it transferred to another company at their request.

Determine the data handler category in which you fall

The GDPR categorizes data in two distinct categories:

• Data handler- defined as a company that processes personal data on behalf of a data controller
• Data controller – the person with authority over the collected data

The controller decides which data should be collected, in what format the data should be collected, how the data is to be stored and used, and how it is to be destroyed. The GDPR stipulates different regulations for various categories of data handlers. Knowing the category in which you fall will thus enable you to know which regulations are applicable to you.

Final thoughts

If you have not read the General Data Protection Regulations, it’s important to do so as soon as possible. As you can see, the requirements for adherence are demanding and the cost of non-compliance is quite hefty. It’s vital for every company that does business in Europe to know and understand these regulations. European authorities have stated that they will impose stiff penalties to make an example of companies who do not comply.

What Is It?  What Do We Need To Know?  What Should We Do?

If you don’t know what the GDPR is, and if you’re not ready for it, you’re going to get caught short because this is a legal deadline and it’s coming up fast. The General Data Protection Regulation goes into effect May 25, 2018.  It’s a privacy law that the European Union is enforcing to protect the personal data businesses collect. Even if your business is outside of the EU, you must comply.

What is the GDPR?

The GDPR affects all internet business worldwide. It’s a very complex law, so we can’t explain everything here. We’ve provided some resources below that you should check out.  Keep in mind that there are many gray areas where this law is concerned. So, you should do some research to determine how the law affects your organization’s unique situation.

The GDPR is an internet privacy law. All businesses, small or large, and even entrepreneurs who do business on the Internet with consumers located in the European Union need to be aware of how the law affects them.

It doesn’t matter if your company is inside the EU, or anywhere else in the world– If you do business with anyone in the following countries, you must comply with this new law by May 25th:

1. Austria
2. Belgium
3. Bulgaria
4. Croatia
5. Cyprus
6. Czech Republic
7. Denmark
8. Estonia
9. Finland
10. France
11. Germany
12. Greece
13. Hungary
14. Ireland
15. Italy
16. Latvia
17. Lithuania
18. Luxembourg
19. Malta
20. Netherlands
21. Poland
22. Portugal
23. Romania
24. Slovakia
25. Slovenia
26. Spain
27. Sweden
28. United Kingdom

The GDPR is a consumer data protection law. It ensures that individuals can:

• Access their personal data.
• Export their personal data.
• Correct errors to their personal data.
• Object to the processing of their personal data.
• Erase their personal data.

The GDPR applies to the acquisition, processing, and storage of personal data – from initial gathering to final deletion of this data and every point in between. It applies specifically to personal data and anything that pertains to identifiable data such as:

• Names
• Email Addresses
• Physical Addresses
• Phone Numbers
• Birthdate
• Age
• Sex
• Race
• ID Numbers
• Nationality
• Citizenship
• Marital Status
• Family Data
• Health Data
• Physical Characteristics
• Profile Pictures
• Occupation
• Employment History
• Income
• IP Addresses
• Cookies
• (and more)

This could be information you collect automatically from Google, an opt-in, or other collection method online – anything that would identify an individual.

How Will The GDPR Affect My Business?

If your business has a website or an email list, you may be affected.

The GDPR affects any business relationship or transaction whether commercial or free where one or more of the entities are in the European Union. It’s not based on citizenship, rather location.  Any business within the EU must comply with the GDPR across its entire audience. If your business is in any of the 28 European Union Member States, you must comply with the law if you conduct a transaction with anyone located anywhere. If your business is located in the U.S. and you collect data about any business or person in the EU, you must comply with the GDPR.

How Should We Prepare For The GDPR?

There are three requirements you must meet before May 25th.

Controls and Notifications

• Protect personal data using appropriate security.
• Notify authorities of personal data breaches.
• Obtain appropriate consents for processing data.
• Keep records detailing data processing.

Transparent Policies

• Provide clear notice of data collection.
• Outline processing purposes and use cases.
• Define data retention and deletion policies.

IT and Training

• Train privacy personnel and employees.
• Audit and update data policies.
• Employ a Data Protection Officer (if required).
• Create and manage compliant vendor contracts.

Some Examples

Before the GDPR:

Let’s say you offer a whitepaper or free video to people online. Before the GDPR, your prospect provided their information, you gave them the freebie, and the consent was assumed because they accepted your gift.  Pretty easy, right?

After the GDPR:

You can no longer assume that their consent is given if they accept your gift. Now you must specifically obtain their consent. It must be given freely, specifically, and be unambiguous. Nor can you require them to give their consent to receive the gift.

Note: This new standard applies to all of your existing lists. Beginning May 25th, you can no longer send marketing emails to anyone who hasn’t given their precise consent for you to keep their personal information.  Plus, you cannot go back and ask them for their consent. You’ll need a stand-alone system to do this.

What Can We Do To Comply With These Strict Rules?

This is important. You must do this BEFORE May 25, 2018.

Compliance/Preservation

Step 1. Segment your email mailing lists into two parts.

• Non-EU subscribers
• EU-based subscribers and any unknowns

You want to continue to build goodwill with your Non-EU contacts so reach out to them as you would have before.  The EU-based and unknowns you’ll need to re-engage with. Here’s what we mean:

Step 2. Reengage EU-based and Unknowns.

• Before emailing them, add additional value and content to your website.
• Then send them a link to your website and request their specific consent to keep their personal information.
• Set up a system to migrate those who give consent over to it.
• On May 24, 2018, you must delete anyone in this group who hasn’t consented.

Remember, storing and deleting their information is considered processing. That’s why you must do this BEFORE May 25th.

Breach Notification Requirements

The 2018 GDPR replaces the old Data Protection Directive of 1995. The most recent GDPR breach notification requirement was enacted in April 2016.  It set a higher compliance standard for data inventory, and a defined risk management process and mandatory notification to data protection authorities.

Breach notification is a huge endeavor and requires involvement from everyone inside an organization. In-house tech support and outsourced Technology Service Providers should have acquired a good understanding of the consequences a data breach causes and the data breach notification requirements for their organization.  They must be prepared in advance to respond to security incidents.

The Following Are Additional Steps You Should Take To Prepare Your Technology Before May 25th  

Your Technology Solutions Provider Can Help

• Perform a through inventory of your personally identifiable information, where it’s stored–in onsite storage or in the Cloud. And determine in what geographical locations it’s housed. Don’t forget about your databases. PII is often stored in databases.
• Perform a Gap Analysis. This is a process where you compare your organization’s IT performance to the expected requirements. It helps you understand if your technology and other resources are operating effectively. By doing this, your Technology Solution Provider (TSP) can then create an action plan to fill in the gaps. The right TSP will understand the GDPR regulations and how your IT must support your compliance efforts.
• Develop an Action Plan. Your TSP should document a detailed action plan for how to use technology to meet the GDPR if you experience a data breach. This should include individuals’ roles and responsibilities. Conduct tabletop exercises to practice how the plan will work with specific timelines and milestones.
• Ensure data privacy. If you don’t have a Technology Solution Provider, then you need one for this. Data protection is key for any-sized organization. Consumers have the right to have their data erased if they want. This is called “the right to be forgotten.”  This is a concept that was put into practice in the European Union in 2006, and it’s a part of the GDPR. You won’t be able to do this if their data is stolen.
• Be sure to document and monitor everything that you do that’s related to GDPR Compliance. This includes any changes or upgrades that your TSP makes to your IT environment. You may need to demonstrate that you’ve done your due diligence when it comes to protecting citizens’ private information and that you practice “defense-in-depth” strategies where you use multiple layers of security controls when it comes to your technology.

Resources To Check Out For More Information

The European Commission’s website regarding the GDPR:

https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/law-topic/data-protection

Wikipedia

General Data Protection Regulation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Data_Protection_Regulation

Information from the service vendors you use:

• Mail Chimp
• Salesforce
• Google
• Microsoft

These and other services have GDPR-centric webpages with helpful information that impacts your relationship with them, how they handle processing, and how they can help you comply with the new regulations

PowerPoint is an amazing, multi-faceted software program from Microsoft that allows users to create professional-looking slideshows. These presentations have evolved from being a novelty to an essential part of everyday business around the world. The slideshow format makes it easy to tell a story that can be shown on a projector or TV. This program is used for small groups, large audiences, or even families wanting to show off their vacation photos.

This type of presentation offers so much and can be completed by even a novice. When the audience has visual and auditory elements, it’s much easier to get your point across while holding everyone’s attention. Often a PowerPoint demonstration is recorded so it can be viewed just like a YouTube video.

What’s new for 2016?

For 2016, Microsoft has integrated many helpful changes into all of its Office 365 programs, including PowerPoint. The great thing about Microsoft is that they carry over their product features from one Office 365 program to another. This means that if you’re already familiar with Word, you’ll have no trouble working in PowerPoint. The program uses the same menus and commands for common tasks like formatting text and adding pictures.

Available for any device

Office is now available on any device so you can work on your new PowerPoint demonstration from your smartphone, tablet computer, PC or Mac. If you want to collaborate on a project, then save it to OneDrive so that others can access the file and make their own changes or add new content. PowerPoint demos are always saved as a .ppt file, which is easy to open using any version of Office. You can give collaborators viewing or editing privileges.

Available in any language

Another helpful thing about PowerPoint is that it is used worldwide and available in many languages. This makes it easy to create a new slideshow in French, Italian, German, and many other languages. You may want to create a spectacular slideshow for your team in Italy or you may have teams in several countries. It’s easy to produce a stunning PowerPoint display in just about any language that can be shared across various devices.

What are PowerPoint Presentations used for?

Users find various ingenious ways to give any project a distinct flavor of its own. There are so many uses for PowerPoint that it’s hard to name them all, but below are just a few:

• Product launch
• Marketing plans & strategies
• Business plans
• Trade shows
• Club meetings
• Classrooms
• Quarterly-earnings presentation
• Employee training
• Sales meeting
• Family tree
• Public appearance
• Photo slideshows

How to begin

As you can see, there are endless ways to use PowerPoint to get your point across, entertain or make a boring presentation much more interesting. Begin by choosing a style. Remember that you can go back and change this at any time. Nothing is set in stone with Microsoft products because they’re versatile and user-friendly.

Begin by opening PowerPoint and selecting New>Blank Presentation to create a slideshow from scratch. Next, select your template or design. Templates and Themes offer you a wide selection of attractive colors, designs, and layouts. Double-click on one and the first page of the theme will open. You can add text and pictures to each slide. Also, add or remove text boxes simply by clicking on them and then choosing Delete. If you need inspiration, then select “Take a Tour” and the program will give you a brief explanation of how it works.

Once you’ve completed work on each frame, you can add exciting features like animation and transitions. If these two functions seem confusing, find a how-to video to get simple instructions or ideas. With all the various choices and features in PowerPoint 2016, it’s easier than ever to create a professional slideshow that will wow your audience.

Working with Templates

The program itself offers a number of exciting templates for any type of presentation, but you can also go online and choose from thousands of templates and themes. Once you’ve chosen a design, it’s time to add some text. Most people start at the beginning, so a title is often found on the first slide. Simply click on the top text box on the first slide, then start typing. If you want to change the font size, type, or color, highlight it first. Next, go up to the Home tab and sort through the many font styles there. This procedure is exactly the same as that for changing formatting options in Word.

After you get your first slide perfect, you can add notes at the very bottom. Notes will not show up on the presentation. Instead, they’re used to help the presenter create their audio dialog. If you aren’t ready to create your notes, simply skip this step and go back to it later. When you’re ready to add a new slide, it’s easy to do. Right-click in the left column that shows the thumbnails of your slides. You can also go to the Home tab and choose New Slide.

Using the home tab allows you to make a few choices when adding the next slide. You can select the slide format that works best for you, from content only to a mixture of content and pictures. If you aren’t sure or don’t have the right elements to create this slide, simply choose the blank slide and move on. It can act as a placeholder until you’re ready.

Adding media and other elements

Many of the slide layouts include small icons that make it simple to add a chart, table, picture, video, or smart graphics. Clicking on one of these icons will open the appropriate element, such as a table or chart properties. Remember that if you don’t like what you created, simply click on it and press delete or backspace to remove the item. PowerPoint allows you to get as creative as you like or collaborate on your slideshow with someone else. You may have someone in your office who does all the charts and graphs for a given project.

Notice that when an area with media in it is highlighted, the “Drawing Tools” are available. These tools work exactly as those found in Word. Choices such as changing the text fill, outline and effects are shown on this tool bar. You can rotate a box of text or pics. You can also group or align objects in the text box.

Making Changes

As mentioned above, it’s easy to make changes to a slideshow. If you want to change the text, then click in the box containing that text so that it’s highlighted. On each frame, you can have more than one text box. This is helpful because you might want a completely different look for your heading as your sub-heading. Once the text is highlighted, you can make whatever changes you like and they take affect instantly. You can change the color, size, style, and add elements like bolding or italics.

Sharing Projects

If you want to share your project, send co-workers a link to the PowerPoint file. You can give each collaborator either viewing or editing permissions. Comments on the presentation are visible to everyone. Your team can make whatever changes they like and return the project to you with a newly saved title. Each iteration requires its own unique file name. So that there’s no confusion on which is the current rendition, it can be helpful to save the project by name and date.

Presenting your PowerPoint to an audience

In Presenter View, the announcer has access to their notes, as well as the current and next frame. To begin your slideshow, simply set it up with the monitor or TV you’re going to use, then go to Slideshow>From beginning. This action will start the presentation. Watch how each frame is shown and then dismissed.

If you have set up Transitions, then each new frame will use motion effects to move through the slides. Frames will appear and disappear according to the transition type you have set up. For advanced users, Microsoft has developed a method of applying and customizing slide transitions so that your PowerPoint is clean and professional-looking, but unique from all the others.

PowerPoint is an excellent tool in today’s business world that brings every story to life.

Compliance Manager

Introduced by Microsoft, Compliance Manager is a data tracking system designed to ensure companies adhere to General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). Organizations can sign up for paid Compliance Manager or subscribe to a free Compliance Manager via Microsoft tools such as Microsoft Azure, Dynamic 365 or Microsoft Cloud Services. Microsoft recently released the long-awaited office 365 GDPR Compliance Manager with a few upgrades. Professionals are eagerly trying it out and giving their opinions about this exciting new product. The compliance management tool is expected to attain general availability on different platforms in the course of 2018. Here’s a sneak peek at the basic attributes of this highly anticipated GDPR data protection compliance tool.

Relevance of the new Office 365 GDPR Compliance Manager

Microsoft finally unveiled their much-awaited General Data Protection Regulation program that experts have been so excited about. Shortly after, they announced its features in a blog post and details of the new features to help users get started. Most users do look forward to new office products, but this one has been designed to make compliance to the new GDPR regulations much easier. That makes it a valuable tool that every business needs. Most business owners confess that they don’t know enough about the new GDPR rules and they are not ready for the May 25 deadline.

One key attribute of the new Office 365 is that it will include the compliance manager which was first previewed in November 2017. To date, the compliance manager is available on Azure, Dynamics 365, and Office 365 Business. Plans are also underway to have it available for Enterprise Customers via public clouds in the near future.

So what’s all the fuss about the new Office 365 GDPR Compliance Manager?

Customers have complained about difficult-to-understand compliance challenges and the GDPR is admittedly a complex document. Microsoft has attempted to take some of the complexity and mystery out of these regulations so that business owners can comply without having to hire outside help.

The most common challenge has been the lack of in-house employees who understand how to prepare and fulfill these new regulations. Office 365 GDPR Compliance Manager is tailored to ensure end-to-end regulation compliance. It also effectively empowers your business to manage the three key components of compliance. As your business uses this product, it will continuously provide you with a risk assessment and score that can alert you if you aren’t in full compliance in some areas.

Advanced GDPR Compliance

Microsoft’s Compliance Manager was developed to track an organization’s IT systems in specific regard to the requirements of international standards for data protection. One major issue has been that many company owners have simply not taken steps to be ready for the May 25 deadline, when all web sites who do business with European companies must adhere to EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

To help with this problem, Microsoft has unveiled a special GDPR template which will effectively detect and categorize personal information in your data base relevant to GDPR. This is important because many companies are still somewhat careless with their customer’s personal data. According to GDPR, companies failing to provide adequate protection for customer data could face penalties of up to €20 million.

The Compliance Manager has two features that customers will use to scan and assess data risk:

1. Compliance Score- Users are now able to assess data risk on an interactive dashboard on the new Microsoft 365 GDPR.
2. Azure Information Protection Scanner- This feature identifies, classifies, labels and effectively protects both on-premises and hybrid user data. It periodically scans sensitive data on emails and attachments based on the organization’s policies.

New Admin Role of Compliance Manager

Along with these two outstanding updates to Microsoft Compliance Manager is a unified labelling tweak on the admin dashboard. Microsoft cited protection of documents as the main reason for unified labeling, which it denotes as information protection administration. In the past, security admins and global admins could access the systems as separate entities to the Azure data protection service. With the new Compliance Manager, the option of additional management access permission is missing on the Azure portal and PowerShell unifying security and global admin roles.

With this new set up, the compliance manager ensures consistency in the labeling of information for easy protection of data records. However, the unified admin labeling role is still on a preview phase. At the moment, it allows the admin to apply a data protection setting which differentiates security functions from general global admin functions on a single interface in line with GDPR. Microsoft’s compliance manager is now available for customers on a paid program and or a trial option for users of Microsoft cloud services.

The Future of Data Compliance

The number of customers and companies worried about cyber theft is growing. Consequently, there’s a rising need for tools that can help protect customer data. The GDPR attempts to do this. As long as data stays scattered across an organization’s systems, there’s a greater risk that it will be stolen or compromised in some way. Compliance with GDPR guidelines seeks to eliminate many of these risks. Though it will constitute a huge challenge for most website owners, the alternative is unacceptable. Hopefully, the new Office 365 GDPR Compliance Manager can take some of the confusion and apprehension out of the equation.