Thursday Tech Bytes

January 5, 2020

Reclaim Productivity with These Microsoft Excel Secret Shortcuts

25+ Microsoft Excel Shortcuts to Boost Your Productivity

Are you getting your money’s worth out of this productivity tool? Find out how to save insane amounts of time and frustration with these 25 Microsoft Excel Tips

When it comes to processing data, Microsoft Excel is everything to everyone. But because it’s a vast tool, many people never take the time to discover the Excel shortcuts relevant to them.

Obviously, these Excel shortcuts aren’t really secrets. No one’s hiding them from you. But because we don’t learn them, we waste a lot of time in an otherwise very streamlined and powerful productivity tool.

Franklin Covey, the author of the bestseller business classic, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, said we need to take the time to “sharpen the saw”. Are you working with a dull blade by not using Excel to its fullest? Check out these Excel tips that will instantly sharpen your skills.

Learn Navigating Shortcuts

Ctrl+End moves you to the bottom right-hand corner of your worksheet. Because this stays within the cells in which you currently have data points, shortcuts like this let you quickly move from one side of the sheet to the other. You don’t have to endure the frustration scrolling too far.

Similar navigation shortcuts include:

Ctrl + Home – Go to upper left-hand corner.
Ctrl + Down Arrow – Go to lowest cell in the currently highlighted column.
Ctrl + Up Arrow – Go to the top cell in the current column. But keep in mind that if you have a blank cell in the column, it will stop there whether you’re going up, down, left or right.
Ctrl + Right – Go to the far right of the current row.
Ctrl + Left – Go to the far left in that row. Home key also does this.

Use the Go To Box

In the upper left-hand side of Excel, above your worksheet, you’ll find a Go To box. Simply point and click into the box. Then you can type any coordinates to go directly to a cell. For example, G102. If you’re working with a large sheet, Microsoft Excel tips like this are indispensable.

Keyboard shortcuts will always save time once you know them. But it’s when you’re on devices that have difficulty with point and click systems that you’ll save the most time.

Use F5 or Ctrl + G to pull up the Go To box automatically. Then type, press enter and go.

Use this same shortcut to select ranges of cells.

You can further use Go To Special, which is in the bottom right of the Go to Screen. This takes you directly to cells that meet a particular requirement. For example, if several cells on a spreadsheet should have a formula, this gives you a visual of which cells are missing formulas to help you validate your data.

From here, while the cells are highlighted, you might choose to add special formatting to make your sheet more understandable at a glance.

Highlight Cells Without the Mouse

Once again, your mouse is a terrible way to navigate in Excel. As you try to highlight groups of cells across columns, you inadvertently select other cells and can’t seem to get the right ones selected.

Yes, there are some better ways to select large numbers of cells with Excel shortcuts.

Ctrl+A highlights all cells with data points in them. Press Ctrl + A again to highlight the whole sheet.

Or highlight a specific section with this keyboard-mouse combo. Just start at the top-left cell of the part you want to select. Then Shift + click into lower right cell with the mouse. This highlights everything vertically and horizontally in between those cells.

You can accomplish the same thing without the mouse if needed. Simply move to the starting cell (always top left) for your highlighted area. Then hold the shift key and use the arrows to highlight across a row, down a column or across columns/rows.

You can also keep holding shift and move the arrows until you get it just right. Or use the mouse plus keyboard technique first. Then fine-tune what you select by pressing shift again and then using the arrows.

This is perfect for erasing large sections or formatting areas of your sheet.

But let’s say that the cells you want to highlight aren’t all next to each other. You can still highlight them together. But you will need the mouse for this one. Hold select while clicking the various cells, you’d like to highlight.

Once you’ve highlighted these cells, use Microsoft Keyboard shortcuts like:

Ctrl + B – Bold
Ctrl + I – Italic
Ctrl + U – Underline

And know that even if you’re using Excel on a Mac, you still have similar shortcuts. In most cases, the Command key replaces CTRL.

Improve Cell Data Entry Speed

Data entry is the centerpiece of Excel. But there are definitely some right and wrong ways to do it when treating Excel like the productivity tool it is. Check out these Microsoft Excel tips for faster and more accurate data entry.

Highlight an occupied cell and start typing to replace the data. There’s no need to delete or backspace first. But be careful. You could accidentally erase a cell this way.
Edit more detailed cell data from the formula bar instead of in-place. This is especially effective if you have formatted your sheet to not show all the data in a particular cell because it’s long. Just click the cell and then click into the appropriate place in the text to start typing within that bar.
Use in place editing when small amounts of data in a cell. Simply double click to open the cell for editing.

Excel Shortcuts & More

We’ve only scratched the surface. So practice these 20+ tips and you’ll be eager to learn more. For more ways to increase your individual and corporate productivity, follow our blog.

January 3, 2020

Watch Out! Windows 7 Loses Support in January

Careful – Your Windows 7 Loses Support in January 2020

If you use Windows 7, you need to be aware that Microsoft will end support for your operating system in January 2020. Now is the time to upgrade to Windows 10.

Windows 7 is an operating system that still has plenty of serious fans – in fact, it was only earlier last year that the market share for Windows 10 moved past Windows 7. Considering that Windows 10 was released in 2015, that is saying something. All good things must come to an end, though, and Windows 7 is no exception. Microsoft is ending support for Windows 7 in January of 2020, which means that it will become much more difficult to keep the OS up and running moving forward. And a recent announcement from Microsoft has let Windows 7 users know that they are going to be seeing bigger, full-screen pop-ups to warn them of the upcoming end of life of the operating system.

Microsoft is Magnifying it’s Warnings about End of Windows 7 Support

All through 2019, Microsoft has been telling Windows 7 users that the support for their operating system was going to end in 2020. Of course, if you are using Windows 7, you may have missed the warnings or just decided to think about them later – after all, a year is a long time. But the end is really around the corner now.

The official end of support for Windows 7 is January 14, 2020. The day after, on the 15^th, you will no longer be able to get support from Microsoft if something goes wrong with your operating system. That is why the prompts telling you that Windows 7 support is going to end are getting a lot bigger and more obnoxious. Microsoft is going to push full-screen pop-ups telling you that “your Windows 7 PC is out of support”.

You don’t have to keep looking at the notifications if you don’t want to. You can ask Windows to remind you later or to never remind you again. You can also choose to ‘learn more’, which will take you to an information page about what loss of support means and give you the option to upgrade to Windows 10.

What Does “Loss of Support” Mean?

There are several things that will happen when support ends for your Windows 7 operating system, including:

Loss of tech support. Right now, if something goes wrong with your Windows 7, you can contact Microsoft and get somebody to help you with the problem. They can run you through troubleshooting steps and try to get things going again. But when support ends, you won’t have the option of contacting Microsoft about it. They will tell you that they no longer support your operating system.
No more software updates. Microsoft is always working to improve their operating systems – at least the ones they currently support. But once they stop support, they stop putting resources into improving an OS. That means there will be no more updates to make Windows 7 secure and stable.
Loss of security. There are always people out there looking to compromise Windows operating systems, even ones as old as Windows 7. When you lose support for your OS, it means that Microsoft will no longer be trying to identify threats and upgrade your OS to defend against those threats.
Loss of compatibility. This is the biggest problem for most people with unsupported operating systems. You may be ok with being less secure and not getting the latest and greatest improvements, but you are unlikely to be happy when your favorite software stops working with your version of Windows. Over time, the thing you can use your computer for will become fewer and fewer as software moves beyond your OS.

Fortunately, getting support for your OS is easy enough – you just have to upgrade to Windows 10.

December 21, 2019

Getting Professional Data Analysis without Hiring Professional Data Analysts

Learn how AI helps businesses analyze customer provided data and IoT implementation important for growth, customer loyalty, and greater profitability.

There is so much data available to your business but getting a proper read on its importance an investment in costly data scientists. Learn ways technological advances, such as AI, helps your business synthesize data and provide your IT team with the information needed to create apps and other solutions at a lower cost.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is at the forefront of the data analysis performed by businesses. According to a recent article appearing in Forbes.com, data centers used to house the billions of bytes of data businesses collect, along with business analytics are growing at a compound annual growth rate of 50 percent between the years 2017 – 2021. The market value of IoT in 2017 was $235 billion and expected to more than double to $520 billion by 2021.

What does this mean for you and your business? All those valuable bits and bytes you collect from your customers is useless if you do not have a team in place that can help you make sense of it and use it to grow your business. This typically means hiring a staff of professional data scientists who, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), earned a median pay in 2018 of $118,370 or $56.91 an hour. That is a huge investment in labor which may be better spent instead on AI developed approaches to data analysis and app development.

Leveraging AI to Produce Professional Data Analysis

Professional data scientists cost you nearly $60 per hour while computer programmers with less education and the skills necessary to write and test computer code and develop apps based on your data earn about $40 an hour (median pay of $84,280 according to BLS). AI gives you the ability to hire programmers over scientists, who can help you properly analyze and utilize your data. Here’s how: AI has involved in one of the few technological advances capable of passing the Turing test.

If you are not familiar with the Turing test, it is the ability of a machine to demonstrate human-like intelligence and provide responses indistinguishable from human responses. That this phenomenon has finally happened for the first time in 2014 (64 years after the test was developed in 1950 by British mathematician Alan Turing, noted for breaking German code during World War II) means AI has become the leading driver for businesses looking to bring sense and order to data and quickly create consumer-driven apps to further engage customers and increase revenue.

Why AI over Human Analysis?

Without giving away to fears about machines taking over ala Stanley Kubrick’s HAL 9000 in the movie “2001: A Space Odyssey,” business should come to quickly recognize that machine learning and AI are useful technologies, important in reducing human labor costs and providing a way to integrate IoT into your business.

Hiring programmers who can seize upon the results of AI analysis comes at a savings of about $35,000 per scientist needed to perform the role artificial intelligence does. This alone gives you a compelling business reason to consider the advantage of leveraging AI over traditional human analysis performed by professional data scientists. As companies move slowly toward IoT implementation, you have the opportunity to be on the forefront and beat your competitors to the punch, enabling you to chart uncharted territories and seize important market share!

November 19, 2019

Chrome Users Need to Update Now

Why Google Chrome Users Should be Concerned About Security Patches

Does Your Organization Use Google Chrome? Find Out Why Recent Security Flaws Have Created an Urgent Need to Update Your Devices’ Browsers Immediately

If users in your organization use Google Chrome, there is a high chance that several of those systems are creating an opportunity for hackers to install malware. Google recently identified a major security flaw with its Chrome browser that impacts Windows, Mac, and Linux-based devices. Although Google has released a security patch to correct the security vulnerabilities, the patch fixes two separate problems.

Security Vulnerabilities

One of the security vulnerabilities Google identified is Chrome’s audio component. The other vulnerability is tied to the browser’s PDF library. Both allow unwanted modifications or corruptions to memory data. This allows hackers to elevate privileges on the device or within applications installed on the device. If someone is able to gain administrative access to a system or software on a system, the individual could make unwanted changes or wreak havoc on the device’s operating system. There is also a high chance that a hacker could install malware or execute malicious code on the device.

Version

The version of the browser that fixes the security issues is 78.03904.87. Although the Chrome browser may be configured to automatically update itself in the background upon launch, it is a good idea to manually check each device. The browser can be manually checked by selecting the Help menu and then “About Google Chrome.” If there is an update available, the browser will automatically search for it and find it. The browser’s version will also be displayed in the “About” section. If the listed version is 78.03904.87 or later, then the device has received the necessary security patch.

If there are problems with the browser updating, it may need to be removed from the system and reinstalled. Some organizations have an automatic process to uninstall and reinstall applications from the server once the devices connect to the organization’s network. Reports can be run to see which systems still have outdated versions and technicians should manually check those systems to diagnose why automatic updates are not going through.

Other Considerations

A system that is not receiving automatic updates from Google Chrome may have other issues. Technicians should check for the following:

Is the anti-malware program up to date and running correctly?
Is the OS receiving approved updates and are these updates installing?
When was the last time the system pinged the network?
Has the system been restarted recently?
If the system has been disconnected from the organization’s network, how long has it been offline?
Has a malware scan recently been run? Were any malicious items identified and removed?
Are there are any suspicious executables or unauthorized programs installed?

Sometimes wiping a system and completely reinstalling the OS are the best courses of action. Signs that a device may be too infected, corrupted, or outdated include the presence of unauthorized or suspicious applications, more than 100 pending OS updates or a previous update date that is more than a month old, and an anti-malware program that will not update or run a scan correctly. Before wiping a system and reinstalled the OS, a technician should check for and back up any user data that may be installed on the device’s hard drive. However, the data should be carefully scanned for any malware infections prior to transferring it back onto the system.

November 3, 2019

Microsoft Excel Experts SWEAR By This…

Businesses nowadays collect an incredible volume of data from various sources, including online sales, in-store-transactions, social media, and various other places.

So how do you find value in that data? The simple answer: Organizing it properly within worksheets.

Ready to unlock the potential of your data? If you want to analyze and make sense of the information you’re storing, here’s how…

Watch Our Microsoft Excel Tips and Techniques Video

In the video above, we teach you how to link several worksheets together within one workbook AND how to link data across multiple workbooks to:

Reduce errors
Save time
Improve data integrity

Click here to watch online

Questions? Feel free to reach out to us at any time.

October 2, 2019October 2, 2019

[ Free Training] Protect Your Yourself From Hackers

Ransomware attacks are growing a staggering 350% each year. And to make matters worse, 43% of all cyber-attacks are aimed at small businesses. Why? Because more often than not, they don’t have the budget or expertise to protect themselves.

Online Cybersecurity Training

Fortunately, knowledge is prevention in situations like this. Even if you don’t have an unlimited amount of money to spend on enterprise-grade security solutions, you’re able to stand a chance as long as your staff members are trained.

After all, human errors are the biggest vulnerability when it comes to staying safe online. Take a look at our training site where we outline 10 ways to stay safe online below.

Click Here To Watch Our Online Training

You never know… One of the tips outlined in the video might be just the thing to prevent you from becoming a victim of an attack that would otherwise cost you thousands of dollars.

If you have questions, hit the “reply” button and let me know.

September 21, 2019September 21, 2019

Microsoft Teams Update: They Just Made It Even Better

Are you already experiencing the time-saving collaboration tools and productivity tools in Microsoft Teams? Wait until you see the 2019 Microsoft Teams Update.

It’s no secret to you that no one is an island when it comes to getting complex jobs done within an organization. But coordinating team efforts, keeping everyone on the same page and working efficiently is always challenging. On top of that, mobile devices have freed us from the confines of our office spaces, allowing people to work from anywhere. But this often means that team members may not be in the same room, same building or even on the same continent.

Microsoft Teams, which was released in 2017, was built with the modern mobile, collaborative office in mind. It sought to rein in all of that chaos with intuitive team collaboration tools that bring people together. It facilitates the ability of teams to effectively accomplish tasks and meet deadlines. Now, they’ve done it again with their 2019 release of new team features for Windows, macOS, Android and iOS. Let’s looks at some of these exciting, collaboration and productivity tools.

MyAnalytics “Focus Time”

They’ve added a new feature to the already helpful MyAnalyics portion the Microsoft Teams. In case you’re not familiar, MyAnalytics helps your team members stay focused, work smarter and accomplish their goal more efficiently by keeping them moving in the right direction.

“Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hour days.”
Zig Ziglar

MyAnalytics delivers AI-powered productivity suggestions based upon the individual’s work patterns. This tool isn’t about getting people to work harder and never take a break. On the contrary, it helps them learn their patterns and discover where time gets wasted so that they can make the best use of work time and have more time for play (off the clock of course).

Using machine learning this tool now suggests the best times for a person to focus uninterrupted, automatically changes their status to “focus” and turns off all notifications during that time.

This tool helps individuals who may feel overwhelmed reclaim their days with less stress and higher productivity.

MyAnalytics is not a management tool. You won’t be able to see the data of employees. But the motivated employee will use it to maximize performance.

Microsoft Teams Rooms “Content Cameras and Intelligent Capture”

No more squinting to see the whiteboard or slides in traditional video conferencing. This improved whiteboarding feature makes it easier for people in multiple locations to view whiteboard information clearly and simultaneously during meetings. This advanced technology requires minimal setup and works automatically. When launched, the tool detects a whiteboard in the frame, crops it and superimposes it over the video.

Meetings First for Skype for Business Server Customers

The new Meetings First feature makes it easy for you to continue a meeting on the Skype for Business Server while moving the workload for the meeting to the Cloud. That means no interruptions or lost productivity. Continue with your chat while viewing information.

Share Audio

Adding videos and audio to Powerpoints has historically been problematic for team members in remote locations. They end up hearing grainy, echoing second-hand audio as speakers pass sound to a microphone then back to their speakers.

A new Microsoft Team Update changes that. Team members will now hear the audio directly through their speakers. So add videos, sound effects, music and more to your PowerPoint without hesitation.

Branded App Development (Developer View)

Businesses thrive when they have tools that they can customize to meet their unique business needs. Microsoft Teams allows you to fully integrate third-party apps into the software and/or develop your own apps to further customize your Microsoft Teams experience. In early 2019 Microsoft released developer preview mode that allows a developer to view the app experience in real-time and are further rolling out the third-party app experience in late 2019.

Explore the Many Productivity Features that Microsoft Teams Has to Offer

We’ve only discussed some of the latest productivity tools added to Teams in the 2019 Microsoft Teams Update as well as a few of the existing feature you may not yet have explored.

If you’re already using Microsoft Teams, these new features will further enhance your team experience. If you aren’t currently using Microsoft Teams, know that we’ve just scratched the service on this innovative, intuitive and practical set of tools. Isn’t it time that your team had the tools it needs to work smarter? It’s time to get Teams or explore the latest that Microsoft Teams Update has to offer.

September 19, 2019September 10, 2019

Free Microsoft Outlook Training

Every month, we host Microsoft Office and other technology training sessions. Our training sessions are completely free of charge and are available “on-demand”. Yes, you can tune-in whenever and wherever you like.

This month’s training session: 4 Ways To Use Microsoft Outlook Efficiently.

Our in-house Microsoft training specialist, Dawn, will guide you through some very important tips and tricks, such as:

Quick Parts
Templates
Automated Responses
Signatures

Tune into this month’s training by clicking here.

August 29, 2019August 29, 2019

10 Questions Every Company Should Ask Before Outsourcing IT Services

Questions for Managed IT Service Providers

Ten questions to ask while considering outsourcing your IT services to a provider.

Many companies are outsourcing their IT functions due to convenience and budgetary constraints. Small- and medium-size businesses can focus their hiring of staff for their core business, and hire an IT consultant for their expertise and efficiency. However, even with the growth in IT consulting, there are several things you should consider before signing a contract.

It easy to fall prey to assumptions when interviewing consultants to outsource IT services. Packaged services don’t always include additional IT support, management, maintenance and security needed for your business’ network. When agreeing to a contract, look carefully to make sure it contains everything you need. Here are some questions for you to ask when interviewing a new consultant.

1. How do you support security compliance?

Often IT providers support security compliance through their package bundles which include an array of features and components. On this list of features you should see firewall configuration, vulnerability patching, incident response, intrusion detection systems (IDS), demilitarized zones (DMZs), intrusion prevention systems (IPS) and more. These features should be included by default to protect your data and hardware.

Dependent on your industry and client list, you should have a good idea of the level of security necessary for your network to ensure compliance and proper security documentation. Discuss this with any providers you interview to match the level of security needed to protect your business.

2. How do you manage service integration?

In order to stay competitive, your company needs to fine-tune service integration. Standard Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) capabilities require integration and automation from your IT service provider to minimize errors and provide secure and effective on-demand service delivery.

3. How do you support incremental outsourcing?

In order to reduce risks associated with outsourcing, you can divide the requirements you need into manageable projects. If you provide a specific set of deliverables to your service provider to work with in a trial setting, you can better assess their completion. You have the option of having the work done on your premises or remotely to better prepare for completely outsourcing managed services.

4. Do you provide a service-level agreement (SLA)?

The service-level agreement (SLA) is one of the most important factors in outsourcing IT services. This agreement is where the service provider details the list of support actions they will provide including end-to-end program management and deliverables to your company.

The agreement should lay out how the provider will take on the project from your company, deploy a small remote or on-site team to coordinate and complete the work. Included in the agreement are delivery dates, the effectiveness of the work, surveys to ensuring the quality of service, and timeframes for the availability of services and service request response times.

5. How flexible is the SLA?

Can the provider grow and change as your business does? Changes within your company should be reflected by the services provided for your IT needs. As you grow, your company will hire more people, take on new projects, add new departments and functions, and have a need for scalable IT infrastructure from your IT provider. In fact, your service provider should have expertise in their field that includes the knowledge and experience to custom-fit a scalable infrastructure that you need for your company.

6. What kind of experience do you have?

If you look at managed service providers by price alone, you may find that you don’t get the expertise you need. It’s better to outsource your IT services needs to an expert that’s completed hundreds of projects successfully. Extract the most value from an experienced partner to gain peace of mind over the quality of work completed. Included in the experience is the latest training and tools available to best protect your company’s data.

7. How do you handle IT strategy vs. emergency support?

If your company has a strategic IT strategy, you need a service provider that can act as a partner in this process. Your service provider should be the expert resource to assist in your strategy. If all they do is take orders and offer emergency service, they are not the right fit for your company.

8. Who will govern our IT services?

Your SLA should include an understanding about who will govern and take responsibility for your IT services. By including a foundational governance framework, you will set the tone for future accountability and start with a shared understanding for your team and your provider’s team. This framework determines which entity makes specific decisions to support organizational principles.

9. What is your reporting process?

Formal reporting should be listed in your SLA and include the standard set of reports provided and a timeline for delivery of those reports from the provider. The frequency and scope of the formal reports between the provider and in-house manager should take place according to the schedule. However, many providers offer informal reports as work is completed.

10. How will you adopt new configuration management?

Changes are part and parcel of a business, making managing those changes routine for your IT service provider. For routine changes, your SLA should cover implementation, but if you have a large project then you should discuss management with your provider before implementation. You can initiate a change request to the provider to allow them to complete an analysis of how to proceed. Once the provider has responded with a schedule and any questions they have, you can move forward on the project together. With a system in place to accomplish new projects, it’s easy to maintain proper tracking and logging of work completed.

August 21, 2019August 19, 2019

Capital One Data Breach

Recently, news broke about the latest large-scale data breach to hit a major organization. Capital One Bank has announced that millions of customers across the US and Canada have had their personal information compromised in one of the biggest breaches to ever happen to a financial services company.

This brief video courtesy of News24 discusses the scope of the incident, the kinds of information impacted, and tips to help protect you from scams that target you directly.

If you have any questions, give us a call at {phone} or email us at {email}.