Microsoft Excel has been around for ages. However, did you know that there are a whole host of functionality features to simplify your workflow and help you save time? One of the most commonly used tools is the Add Column from Example option. Here’s what you need to know about it.
How Do You Add a Column from an Example in Microsoft Excel?
Start by selecting Query > Edit. Then select Add a Column. Choose Column from Examples and From All Columns. After a column is populated, go ahead and add sample data for the new column. Press the Ctrl + Enter keys to instruct Excel to populate the remaining fields.
When is Adding a Column from an Example in Microsoft Excel Useful?
The Add Column from Example feature is an instrumental part of Microsoft Excel’s Power Query functionality that saves users an immense amount of time. Examples of an ideal time to use this function in situations where you need a column that references another column, such as when you want to join two columns together. For example, combining city and state names together for an address.
Is Add Column from Example a Feature for All Versions of Microsoft Excel?
Unfortunately, the Power Query feature of Microsoft Excel is a relatively new addition to the popular software program. You must have Excel 2016 or Office 360 to use it unless you install a free add-in from Microsoft to your version,
In short, the Add Column from Example feature is a practical and useful way to clean up data sets without additional time or effort.
Smartphone technology and the internet have made it possible for us to share ideas—and do business—with people all over the world. Learning to use the powerful tools we have at our fingertips more effectively is one of the most significant challenges of our time. Today’s consumers aren’t just looking for products—they are seeking mutually beneficial long-term connections. No matter what your business is, you can increase your sales by using photos to share information about your products, your company, and most importantly, yourself.
The success of Instagram and Snapchat demonstrate that photos are one of the most preferred methods of sharing information and making human connections. People want to feel personally connected to those they do business with, and social media is a great way to introduce your staff to the world. The right photos can reveal their personalities as well as showcase their talents and abilities in a way that words alone just can’t. You don’t have to be an award-winning professional photographer to create amazing photos, either. The following eight tips can help you transform your iPhone camera into the window through which the world can view your company.
How to Get to the Camera Quickly and Never Miss a Shot
The perfect shot never lasts very long. That’s why there’s more than one way to get to your iPhone camera. The fastest, easiest way is to just swipe left after waking the phone. If you are already in another screen, swipe up to get to the control center where the camera icon is located. If you don’t have a camera icon in your control center, you can add it in three easy steps by going to settings, choosing “customize controls”, then choosing “add camera”.
How to Snap a Photo
You can snap a photo by pressing the home button (aka shutter button) while in the camera app. However, trying to hold the phone still while maneuvering your hands towards a button located near the bottom of the screen can be difficult. Luckily, once you have the perfect shot lined up, you can also use either of your volume buttons located on the side of your iPhone to snap the photo. Being able to use whichever method is easiest to access can mean the difference between a good shot and a great one.
Object Placement, Composition, and Symmetry
Your iPhone camera comes equipped with a grid to help you line up your shots more accurately. The grid is also a useful tool for creating more balanced compositions because it breaks the available space into separate parts. To utilize the grid, go to camera settings, find “grid”, and enable it by swiping the radio button to the right until it turns green.
HDR—High Dynamic Range
The right lighting is often difficult to achieve, but the HDR setting on your iPhone camera can help. This setting allows to you reduce distortion of light and dark in photos taken where there are high-contrast light sources. It also helps reveal more details in both light and dark areas. HDR uses a process of shooting several frames in rapid succession, then merging them together to achieve the best effect. In camera settings, the HDR option will be near the bottom. Make sure the “Keep Normal Photo” option is switched on, so your camera will save both versions of your photo.
Automatic Focus and Exposure
Once you have the shot you want, it’s time to lock your focus. To do that, just tap and hold the focus box. When the yellow AF/AE circle slider appears, press it to lock the focus. If you want to adjust the exposure, drag the yellow exposure slider to the right side of the focus box. You will then be able to slide it upwards to increase exposure, and downwards to decrease it.
Camera Modes
Burst mode allows you to take ten photos per second, ensuring that you get just the right one. To go into burst mode, simply hold down the shutter button for a half a second or longer. Portrait mode is perfect for close-up photos that focus on human subjects and don’t require depth of field. This mode also has several special lighting effects, including studio, contour and stage lighting that you can apply either during the shot or afterwards. While the digital simulation of a shallow depth of field may not yield the professional results that a DSLR (Digital single-lens reflex) camera can, the results can still be amazing.
Lighting Effects
The studio light effect enhances highlights. The contour effect creates a dramatic shadow effect. The stage light effect darkens the background. The stage light mono setting transforms a color photo into a black and white photo. To apply any of these special lighting effects afterwards, just press the edit button.
Live Photos
The Live Photos feature. Available on iPhone 6s and newer, creates shots that are part photo and part video. Like video, it can capture both movement and audio. To activate this feature, just tap the circles icon in the camera app. You can then apply different effects to your live photo shots, such as bounce, loop, or long exposure. To access them, just swipe up while you are in Live Photo. Loop plays, then repeats the video, using a dissolve transition. Bounce plays, then reverses, the video. Long Exposure combines all the frames into one blurred image, which is great for moving water shots.
These eight tips can help you take better photos with your iPhone camera. But don’t forget that your iPhone also has a front-facing video camera. While photos can capture beautiful moments, some of the best memories your customers will have of your business are the ones you create together. The video camera is excellent for either FaceTime or Skype, both of which provide almost all the benefits of speaking in person. You’ll be able to look into one another’s eyes, see one another’s emotional reactions, and transform puzzled expressions into “Oh!” moments.
Using photos on Snapchat or Instagram, you can introduce your friendly, highly competent staff as well as new products and services. Video capability provides a way to show your customers not just your finished products, but the processes that created them. Affordable prices, quality products, and superior customer service are all important elements of any successful business. However, all other things being equal, the ability to make and maintain genuine human connections is the one element that can guarantee not just short-term profits, but future returns.
Every account you have is protected by a password or a PIN of some kind. A PIN is a personal identification number that is unique to the account it is attached to. In some cases, you are allowed to choose your own PIN. For other accounts, you must use the PIN or password that is provided by the creator of the account. Memorizing PINs and passwords is essential if you want to maintain your privacy and keep your accounts fully protected. It’s also vital that you use a few “best practices” when it comes to managing your passwords.
Avoid the Obvious
Avoid using the most obvious choices like your children’s names or notable dates. Choose passwords that would be difficult to trace back to someone or something that is important to you. Choose random numbers and words that can be easily remembered. Hackers who break into accounts will often look through your information to try and find patterns. Random words and phrases are less likely to be picked up within the pattern.
Two-Factor Authentication
Two-factor authentication can involve the use of a PIN and a password, or a PIN/password and a series of security questions. It can also include the use of a security key ( a card that is coded with personal information) and a PIN. The only way to access the account is to have both pieces of the puzzle to unlock the code. If one of the pieces is wrong, you may be locked out of your account until a system reset can be performed.
Separate Numbers and Symbols
Numbers and symbols that are used together may indicate a date or account number. Separate your numbers and symbols to remove any type of familiar sequencing. Alternate numbers, letters, and symbols so that it is difficult to identify any type of common pattern or series.
Use Your Fingerprint to Secure Mobile Devices
One of the best ways to protect your information is through the use of your fingerprint. iPhones can now identify your eye by scanning your cornea. Both of these methods use body parts that are unique to you. No one can duplicate them or alter them in any way. By using a fingerprint or eye-scan to protect your mobile devices, the information stored on that device is protected. You should still, however, change your passwords frequently.
Don’t Use the Same Password for Multiple Accounts
Avoid using the same password for multiple accounts. Choose a new and unique password for each account you have. While it may be difficult to remember multiple passwords, the alternative could mean devastating financial losses. Choose several password and PIN options that can be used effectively. In some cases, you may be able to rotate them. This must be done randomly and without a pattern to maintain the highest level of security possible.
There are ways to protect your passwords and PINs so that you can maintain your accounts and keep them secure. Using a password manager is just one way to secure your accounts. Determine which type of measures work best for you and use them effectively so that all of your information remains protected from outside predators and hackers.
Microsoft recently announced several new updates to Office 365. These updates and additions will help organizations who want to streamline efficiencies and remain compliant with new regulations across numerous industries. The nine key additions and updates to Office 365 will also help organizations effectively manage their digital presence.
9 New Updates And Additions To Microsoft Office 365
The nine key updates and additions to Office 365, include the following features and benefits.
Embed 3-D animations into Word documents and PowerPoint presentations. — You don’t need to know how to code an animation series to use this new feature. In fact, all you have to do is place the 3-D model into your slide, select a pre-built animation, click apply, and instantaneously watch as the 3-D model comes to life.
PowerPoint can transform written texts into readable messages. — Whether you have the world’s worst handwriting or a five year old can draw better than you, PowerPoint is now here to save you time and inevitably money as you create your business presentations. Simply draw out the presentation by hand using a touchscreen tablet. Next, launch PowerPoint and watch as the slides are automatically transformed with digital design recommendations that include layout, icon, and text suggestions. In minutes your handwritten ink can look like something that was designed by a professional artist in the graphic design department.
Save office supplies with the digital pen. — The Microsoft digital pen has all new features that will allow you to save time and resources when editing important documents. Enjoy the speed of simply using the digital pen to cross out paragraphs, circle text, add words, insert line breaks, split / change words, and leave detailed comments.
Transform Word documents into web-ready publications. — To transform your Word document into a Sway website, simply finalize your document, click File, and then click Transform. This feature can also be used to reduce the time needed to create and publish newsletters, training documents, product pages, and pitch decks.
Use blurred background to regain focus on video calls. — The new blurred background features allows video callers to blur their background so that unwanted distractions remain out of sight. The feature is particularly helpful for organizations that have a large remote workforce.
Avoid time-consuming compatibility issues. — Microsoft’s recently released desktop app allows organizations to easily check app compatibility before they complete a system upgrade. This check can save organizations time and money as they keep their systems operating at the optimal capacities, without suffering from incompatibility issues.
More efficiently complete Office 365 migrations with the SharePoint Migration Tool. — The new and improved SharePoint Migration Tool offers a point and click interface that makes it easier for organizations to complete Office 365 migrations. For example, in a few simple clicks your OneDrive files can be migrated to OneDrive for business.
IT teams can more effectively manage and implement business critical resolutions. — The SharePoint Admin Center now allows IT experts to more easily manage Office 365 group-connected sites and hub sites. The update also includes security and compliance enhancements. For example, admins can now restrict or allow access from known IP-addresses, automatically sign-out idle users, and restrict access from non-compliant devices.
Maintain user data compliance. — Office 365 has a complete list of certifications and attestations to ensure that security and compliance are maintained. In this vein, Office 365 recently achieved its HITRUST CSF Certification, which is specifically designed to help health organizations maintain security, privacy, and regulatory compliance.
The Bottom Line: Microsoft Office 365 Delivers Powerful New Updates
Whether you want to more effectively manage your digital presence or create dynamic PowerPoint presentations in a click of the button, the new updates to Office 365 are built with the business executive in mind. In short, the new updates and additions to Office 365 will help your organization to more efficiently and effectively complete daily tasks that will lead to heightened levels of business success.
Companies today are increasingly relying on freelancers to support one-time or ongoing projects. The growing need for freelance support can create complex challenges for companies.
How, for example, can companies manage projects across time zones? How can freelance and in-house staff access the same information and collaborate in real time? How can companies provide access to necessary information quickly when needed but keep systems and access secure when projects are done?
Answering these questions led to the development of Microsoft 365 freelance toolkit. The service leverages tools already in use by many businesses via common Microsoft applications.
The toolkit provides functionality explicitly designed to address freelance management and simplify the complexities of working with teams comprising internal and external employees. It includes a curated set of templates, tools and best practices designed to help organizations launch, manage and execute projects that rely on freelance talent.
How Is the Microsoft 365 Freelance Toolkit Organized?
The toolkit uses four functional areas that Microsoft calls “workloads.” Each is designed to work with existing tools to address core needs:
Communication
Collaboration
Analytics
Workflow
How Does the Product Manage Communication?
SharePoint has long been a powerful tool allowing teams to access critical information and understand complex projects. Leveraging your existing SharePoint investment, toolkit users can learn about a project or program, access necessary training materials and see best practices. These spaces allow for key stakeholders and adopters to understand projects, including goals, metrics and desired outcomes.
Users can post use cases, guidelines for using freelancers for the project, FAQs or Microsoft-provided research reports on the gig economy, alternative work arrangements, and the future of work.
As with all the workloads included in the toolkit, the communications space is customizable.
How Do Freelancers and Staff Work Together?
The collaboration space uses Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Planner as a way to get cross-functional and distantly located teams moving in the right direction.
With these tools, your organization can provide a shared space for teams to hold discussions and to track project progress in one place. Team member assignments can be managed and updated online, and files can be shared using intelligent search tools.
Your organization can grant guest access at no additional cost to freelancers. When the project is concluded, you can easily remove team members who no longer need or should have access.
You can also learn from best practices detailed in the space, including whether to use email; how to use, review and comment on documents, slide presentations and spreadsheets at the same time; and capture shared notes.
How Can the Toolkit Measure Success?
With Power BI, you can create connectors and dashboards that measure key performance indicators about the use of freelancers. Analytics help to gauge which internal groups benefit most from using freelancers. By using the business and data analytics tools, your organization can connect multiple data sources, ease data prep and generate easy-to-read reports.
How Can I Manage Repetitive Tasks Associated with Projects?
There are multiple processes associated with using freelancers. Provisioning, budget, compensation, compliance, monitoring and assessment tools all play a role in managing freelance workers.
Using Microsoft Flow, toolkit users can reduce the reliance on manual, repeated tasks with workflow automation tools. Create seamlessly integrated processes among apps and services to send notices, synchronize files, collect data and report on progress and needs. Using Boolean logic strings, you can streamline and simplify many processes.
As your business evolves, it may require a rapid influx of resources that cannot be acquired using traditional hiring practices or budgets. The freelance market offers companies greater flexibility and reliability. Now, with the Microsoft 365 freelance toolkit, you’ll be able to manage freelancers and empower them to solve pressing business needs.
PowerPoint is regaining a much-needed edge in the world of business presentations. Microsoft recently announced some new exciting and easy to use features that will improve presentation design for those who subscribe to Office 365 and who have PowerPoint 2016 or beyond. Some experts are calling the new features like the Live Captions and Subtitles innovative and even, sleek.
1. Live Captions and Subtitles: This is a new and very innovative feature to PowerPoint that transforms and even translates what you are saying into helpful real-time captions and subtitles. These live captions and subtitles also support those who are deaf and hard of hearing in Microsoft’s mission to use artificial intelligence (AI) for social good. This feature also engages those who speak an entirely different language making your PowerPoint presentations more inclusive. This feature will support 12 languages and display captions or subtitles in over 60 languages using AI.
2. Zoom: Say goodbye to clicking from one slide to another and keeping track of how all of those slides work together. PowerPoint’s new Zoom feature is like a presentation’s visual table of contents. You select the slides you want to feature and the Zoom tool will automatically become the menu of all the presentation’s slides. Plus, while on the menu slide, you can “zoom in” or focus in on different parts of the presentation. Zoom is a creative an eye-catching feature that allows presenters to share the overall context of the presentation without having to click through a variety of slides. And it is straightforward to use with three options; the summary zoom, section zoom or the slide zoom. The summary and section features create menu slides that allow presenters to select what to click on. The slide feature cleverly allows you to include a clickable thumbnail into a slide as opposed to the menu slide.
3. Morph: The Morph slide transition feature gives you the opportunity to easily create interesting and seamless transitions between slides, smoother animations, and object movements among slides. Morph allows a presentation of individual slides become like a continual thread creating a type of video. Experts suggest the best way to create a successful Morph is to select two slides that include at least two common objects. A tip is to copy and paste the common object onto two slides and then move the object to a different location on the second slide.
4. Slide Hyperlinking: This is a game changer in PowerPoint’s features. Slide Hyperlinking feature allows you to click on any slide within your presentation creating a more interactive and better flowing presentation. There is a feature, “place in this document” that allows this to happen. If an audience member has a question concerning information on a previous slide, the hyperlink feature takes you back instantaneously.
5. Designer: PowerPoint has taken the mystery out of beautiful presentations with Designer. Designer helps and inspires you to create professional looking slides with ease. This feature will generate a design concept as soon as a photo or other content is inserted. A template including color schemes, font types and selections, and other stylings are recommended. In the end, Design saves you time, effort and stress when creating a presentation.
It’s difficult to imagine a modern business that doesn’t have Wi-Fi. The internet is one of the most powerful tools in the world right now, and every level of every business typically needs it on demand. For most business locations, that access is determined by the integrity of the Wi-Fi network. There are a lot of components to even the simplest networks, and some things can make performance great or drag it into the ground. If you follow just five simple tips, you can solve the most common problems and have a faster, more reliable Wi-Fi experience.
Find the Right Spot
Wi-Fi coverage starts with placing the central router. Two things determine the right spot for your router: range and interference. The first thing you want to do is find a central room that will allow the router to reach the whole building. If you have multiple floors, the router needs to be in the middle. Standard business equipment will have a range between 100 and 200 feet. That’s a good rule of thumb to help you find the best place to keep it.
Interference is often a bigger problem than simple range. Thick walls or ceilings can eat a lot of the radio signal that Wi-Fi uses. The adobe and stucco styles that are popular in the Southwest and California are particularly rough on signal strength. Basically, any wall that isn’t hollow is going to be trouble. By that same philosophy, you want to avoid putting the router in cabinets or other obstructions that add to the effective thickness of material the signal needs to penetrate.
Even worse than thick obstacles are metals and electronics. Any sufficiently large metal container or siding can act as a Faraday cage and ultimately kill the signal. Large electronic devices and heavy-current wires can also create large sources of interference.
When you put it all together, you want a location for your router that is as central as possible and clear of obstruction. Empty space should surround the device for the best signal strength.
Boost Your Range
Even when you manage to find the perfect spot, you still might not have the coverage you want or need. Many buildings are just too big for a single router. Additionally, floor plans aren’t made with Wi-Fi in mind, so there might be a frustrating nook or corner that isn’t getting signal. This is more easily overcome than it might seem. A repeater or range extender will usually solve the problem. They attach to the signal of the central router and act as an extension hub to give your Wi-Fi a more extensive range.
When you place a repeater, follow the same rules you did for your router. The repeater can fall victim to the same interference as any Wi-Fi device.
Save Bandwidth
In the end, you only have access to so much data per second. Sometimes finding a provider with a more significant data stream is necessary, but there are things to check before going that route. In general, there are two sources of bandwidth hogs that you can manage: users and apps.
Managing users starts with security. Your Wi-Fi needs a strong password and encryption to ensure that unauthorized users are off the network. Piggybacking is often the source of internet slowdowns for businesses everywhere. It doesn’t take effective security measures to plug that leak.
If your business offers Wi-Fi access to customers, the issue is a little trickier. Usually, the best practice is to have at least two completely separate networks. Guest access can be segregated from business-critical functions. That way having too many guests at once won’t impact your ability to function as a business.
Managing apps is also pretty easy. The biggest bandwidth hogs are applications that involve video. Higher definition video adds to demand, so your best bet is to try and schedule use of these apps around moments when Wi-Fi is in less demand. If necessary, you can use administrative software that will automatically throttle apps that use too much bandwidth, but keep in mind that this can impact the performance of those apps.
Try Different Channels
There’s a good chance that your business is surrounded by other buildings. There’s another good chance that those buildings also have their own Wi-Fi networks. Those adjacent networks can interfere with each other, and it is usually inconsistent and frustrating when it happens. There’s an easy fix.
Cycle through different channels on your Wi-Fi router and network. Considering the standard range of routers, you should be able to find an unused channel. That will eliminate the interference problem and help your overall performance.
Check Your Service
After all is said and done, most businesses don’t provide their own internet access. Best practices can do wonders for your Wi-Fi, but you’re still at the mercy of your internet plan. If it doesn’t pack enough power, optimizing your other resources won’t solve the problem. Make sure that your data pipeline is sufficient for your business needs. It may be that spending a little more on internet access is an investment that can generate positive returns.
Sometimes the simple stuff won’t cut it. It’s worth remembering that IT experts exist, and many can offer a competitive means to solve your internet issues. If the DIY approach isn’t enough, look for an IT services company that can get you what you need for a price you like.
You have a lot going on during the business day and beyond, so any short-cut that adds productivity and efficiency to your day is a nice welcome. Microsoft recently updated its Word, Excel, and PowerPoint programs with a nifty even if simple tool: the @mention.
You have likely been there where you want to make a comment, you do make a comment, and that comment gets lost among all the other comments. Worse yet: the document you are reviewing will be reviewed by not just one but many other people. Without personalization in these comments, everyone will read each comment without knowing for whom it was intended. The @mention is a feature that solves these types of problems — problems that seem trivial at first but which can really add up. Here’s how to use the @mention feature and how to do so with success.
How to Use @mention in Microsoft Office?
The @mention feature is only available using Office 365. It allows you to tag someone who has permission to open the document for feedback by emailing that person with a direct link to the comment. It is really quite simple to use:
Make sure you are signed into Outlook and then sign into Office 365.
Open the document to be reviewed in either your SharePoint library or OneDrive for Business.
Go to Review > New Comment.
Type @-person’s-name within the comment.
The feature, for the moment, however, is only available online and to those who are Office Insiders using Windows or macOS. It is not yet available in iOS or Android.
How to Use @mention strategically?
Using the @mention strategically is what will really make this feature work for you. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:
Bring a comment to someone’s attention immediately by using @mention. Here, we specifically mean targeting a colleague who may have specific interest or knowledge of the matter or who may be loaded with work and an @mention may be the thing to get his or her attention.
For one comment, you can @mention more than one person, so there’s no need to draft more than one comment for the same issue.
You can @mention someone without permission to access the document — in this case, Microsoft will ask you to provide permission.
Make sure before starting the review that you have given permission to everyone who may also need access to the document so you do not need to worry about this additional step later.
Also, if you are wondering whether or not a person subject to multiple comments will now receive multiple emails, Microsoft has already thought about it, too. Microsoft will batch the links into a single email if there is more than one @mention for the same person.
Now that you know how to use @mentions in your Microsoft programs, and how to use it strategically, it is time to get back to get back to being productive. Sign in and try it out and see how soon other reviewers start responding.
Cyber threats are a genuine danger for businesses, no matter their size or industry. Companies that face data breaches are likely to fail within months after the attack, according to the National Cyber Security Alliance. Security issues can ruin your reputation and cause expensive damage to your company.
In 2019, we are already predicting increased cyber crimes to steal more data and resources. The FBI reported that over $1.4 billion in losses were experienced by companies and individuals in 2017. These expenses come from increasing security, losing information, losing physical resources, ransomware payouts, scams and more. The most significant sources of cybercrime included:
Email compromise
Confidence fraud
Non-payment or non-delivery scams
Corporate data breach
Investment scams
Identity theft
Advance fee scams
Personal data breach
Real estate/rental fraud
Credit card fraud
Looking forward into 2019, we are preparing to face some of the biggest and hardest attacks yet. Hackers are working to build faster and smarter tools that get around the security systems and regulations that organizations and companies have in place. Companies have to be prepared for cybercrimes that could wreak havoc on their customers or business. Most industries have strict compliance and regulations to keep data safe and can face fines or even jail time if they are not diligent in their cybersecurity efforts. Here are the five major cybersecurity trends we expect to see in 2019:
Multi-Factor Passwords
The password alone is becoming increasingly easy for hacker entry. Fingerprints, ear scans and even social security numbers are all increased measures of security to help battle cybercrime. Using multi-factor passwords is going to be a crucial part of security for 2019 for both personal data and organizational strategies. A large amount of data breach occurs due to human error or negligence so multi-factor passwords can help decrease some of those occurrences.
Data Privacy and GDPR
The EU pushed businesses everywhere when they required the adaptation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Many companies and organizations that didn’t have dealings in the EU started making changes to prepare for the level of modifications expected so they wouldn’t be scrambling to catch up later. The regulations that went into effect this past May are still going to have a significant impact on 2019.
The Rise of Cryptojacking
Last year, ransomware cost over $1billion in damage, but we see a shift towards crypto jacking as the more popular attack. Ransomware takes a lot of research, social engineering and development. In many cases, the payments have gotten smaller because companies, educational institutions and organizations are refusing to pay the ransom at all. Cryptojacking is stealing cryptocurrencies by leveraging the computers of an unsuspected user without their knowledge or permission.
When a cyber criminal puts the crypto mining program into effect (often in a JavaScript), the system will slow it’s processing power as it also operates the mining efforts. This can cause whole systems to falter, leading to sluggishness or downtime for businesses. Best case means lost productivity, but a worst case might bean major blackouts if the attack occurs on electrical utility computers or huge issues for patients if the attack is happening to a hospital. This method of cybercrime is less time consuming to set up, more accessible for the hacker to implement, provides a higher payout and often is harder to track.
AI Attacks
We are seeing a heightened increase in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) that cybercriminals are using to focus their attacks. Hackers are using these systems to train and fine-tune their own programs with malicious intent while maintaining a strategic distance.
IoT Regulation
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a grouping of intelligently connected systems that might include vehicles, devices, appliances, electronics, software, connectivity and actuators. These primarily are unregulated and we expect 2019 to be the year when the security issues here may finally be addressed. This may require certifications or a governmental agency to step in and formulate laws. With increased connectivity, the threat of IoT security breaches are genuine public safety concerns and shouldn’t be taken so lightly. Companies that produce these connective devices and software should already be carefully considering these concerns and how to best keep the users protected.
We know tech threats are a genuine issue for your business. Outsourcing tech support or tech help is one way to ensure you have all of your bases covered. If you need help implementing security, contact us today. We offer the strategies, technology and expertise to keep you protected!
WordPress 5.0 was just released to the public on December 6, 2018. According to WordPress’ blog, this new version of the go-to platform for small business websites and blogs will “revolutionize content editing with the introduction of a new block editor and block editor-compatible default theme Twenty Nineteen.” However, if you’re like most small business owners, you’ve been burned before by being a little too eager to try a new software product. Is WordPress 5.0 the amazing new upgrade that its creator is touting or should you wait until it’s been tested by others and worked out any bugs?
A little about WordPress 5.0
WordPress 5.0 changes the way users compose and publish pages. The new editing function will do things like allow you to “drag and drop” blocks of text, more easily insert videos and images and be able to preview what your page will look like throughout the creation process without having to toggle back and forth to a separate preview screen.
Upgrade or wait?
Whether you should upgrade immediately or not, in our opinion, depends on a few factors…
Is this your busy time of year? If you’re in the middle of a busy holiday retail season, this is clearly not the time to be potentially disrupting your revenue stream and impacting your customers’ user experience by updating to WordPress 5.0. In addition, you won’t have time to learn the new editor, play around with the new features and find the best ways 5.0 can work for you.
Are your plug-ins compatible with Gutenberg? Gutenburg is the driving force behind WordPress 5.0’s new editing functions. However, not all plug-ins are really to work with it. Make sure that you’ll be able to fully use the new WordPress functions before making the switch.
Do you really need 5.0? Will the new features of WordPress 5.0 really impact your business? If not, or if only marginally so, we suggest you pass or at least wait until spring.
To learn more about using whether WordPress 5.0 is right for you and your company and to learn ways to better your website’s user experience, contact your IT services team at {company} immediately by calling {phone} or dropping us an email at {email}.
