Category: Thursday Tech Bytes

The self-proclaimed “search engine that doesn’t track you,” DuckDuckGo is likely the most successful search engine available when it comes to privacy and security.

While Google remains the most popular search engine by far, many users are concerned about its practice of collecting and using your personal data. Namely, Google tracks what you search (yes, everything), stores it, and uses it to provide you with a personalized user experience. Oh, and they also make a profit from it.

What Are the Specific Benefits of Switching to DuckDuckGo?

No Tracking

Of course, this is the biggie. DuckDuckGo doesn’t track you or what you look up online. All searches are 100% anonymous.

No Ads

Google tries to trick users by situating ads at the very top of the page — ads, by the way, that look like search result listings. The only difference is a little box that says “Ad” next to the web address. DuckDuckGo foregoes ads like these, generally starting at the very top of the page with your first search result listing.

Minimalist Interface

Speaking of no ads, DuckDuckGo provides an overall clean and minimalist appearance. Like Google’s results pages, you can toggle between “Web,” “Images,” “Video,” etc. at the top. You can also filter results by region, “Safe Search” mode (for strict or non-filtered adult content), and time period.

Non-personalized Search Results

“Why wouldn’t I want personalized search results?”

Well, you might. But the advantage of not having personalized results is that you’ll see exactly what everyone else sees. In other words, when you search “cocktail recipes” in Duluth, Minnesota, you’ll get the same results as someone searching for “cocktail recipes” in Lyon, France.

Seriously, What’s Actually So Bad About Search Tracking?

Many people’s argument against worrying about Google and other tech giants tracking them (hi, Alexa) is this: “I don’t do anything bad or shameful on the Internet, so why should I care if I’m tracked and my data’s stored?”

That may be true. Certainly, for some, the sheer fact that you’re being listened to, your movements are being tracked, and essentially everything about you (from your age and income to your shoe size and favorite local bar) is being stored … well, it’s alarming and disturbing.

But if that still doesn’t make you ponder the importance of personal data tracking and storing, consider this: Google is using your data to get rich, like, really rich. They’re monetizing everything you do through their platform and making billions in annual profits as a result. The stuff their using? Your shopping habits (Google Express), your online searches (Google Search), your personal conversations (Google Assistant and Google Hangouts), where you go (Google Maps), the news you read and your political leanings (Google News), and much more.

To make matters worse, in many ways, they’re being less than honest about their tactics. For example, their so-called “incognito” mode is far from fully private. Your employer and ISP can still track your searches when you’re in incognito. Furthermore, Google documents you’ve “deleted” and searches you’ve “cleared” aren’t really gone. Google stores them … indefinitely.

Consider a Switch to DuckDuckGo

There’s no doubt that companies like Google provide useful services to individuals and businesses of all kinds. Their search engine is definitely useful as well. Extensive, highly complex algorithms can help you find exactly what you’re looking for, often faster than other search engines.

But if you’re at all concerned with privacy and security for your business and/or at home, consider a search engine switch to the up-and-coming DuckDuckGo. Set it as your homepage, try it out, and see what you think.

There is any number of reasons to encrypt an email in Microsoft Office Outlook, anything from details about your salary to negotiations to purchase a business. With the state of cybersecurity, you need to know that you are protected from individuals who may attempt to hijack your email as it is in transit between locations, too. Fortunately, Outlook has the functionality built in that will allow you to quickly and easily encrypt your email as well as stop people from forwarding the email message.

Why Is Email Encryption Important?

The rise of malware and ransomware has made many users wary of opening emails, and definitely can make you question opening any attachments — even those from a known user. One of the key reasons for utilizing email encryption is to prevent an attacker from intercepting emails and reading them, or even adding a questionable attachment that could be infected with malware. While there are some web-based encryption platforms, the most effective are often those that are built directly into the email platform being used by staff members on a daily basis.

Email Encryption in the Enterprise

Email encryption options have been around for years and can provide your email and attachments an added level of security that could be necessary for sensitive conversations. In the past, it’s been a bit more challenging to apply encryption and even required an add-in or separate application in order to ensure that your corporate emails are safe in transit. As far back as Office 2007, there’s been the ability to add one-click encryption that applied to a single message. You also have the option to encrypt all outgoing messages, a crucial addition for financial and legal organizations. Network eavesdroppers will be thwarted by this advanced function of Microsoft Outlook. If you are using the Office 365 suite, you can find instructions for encrypting your emails on Microsoft’s help site.

How Does Email Encryption Work?

It’s important to understand that email encryption is a two-way street. Not only is it required that you have the software options available to encrypt messages that you are sending, but your recipient must also be able to remove the encryption with a key in order to view the message or attachment. In Outlook, there is a certificate generated that allows you to store the email in your Sent items as well as provides recipients with a way to respond to the email — as you’ll have to open the encrypted file when it is returned to you. This can become problematic when you have multiple people on a distribution list for your email. When recipients are within your organization, Exchange server stores a copy of the encryption key for each individual on the server for ease of use.

Microsoft Outlook is one of the most widely-used email platforms in the country, especially for business professionals. The simple instructions for email encryption and the quick application of the rule for all emails means it is easier than ever to protect your confidential messages.

Email is one of the best ways to communicate with people in the business world, but it’s also one of the biggest time drains for those same individuals. Some of the most productive people turn their email completely off and only check it a few times a day, but is there more that you can do to stay productive throughout the day without stressing out that you’re missing important messages? This quick email productivity hack may be the answer that will help you stay more organized and less distracted throughout the day.

Delayed Email Delivery

Even though it’s a core part of Microsoft Outlook, few people realize that you’re able to delay the delivery of emails until a later date or time — and even fewer people use this function on a regular basis. Delaying the delivery of your email is a great way to ensure that people receive your message when they are most likely to act upon it. If you need someone to provide a crucial report for you but they’re currently on vacation, sending an immediate email request is likely to get lost in the waves of requests they will be wading through when they return to the office. If you delay the message until a day or two after they are back in the office, you’re much more likely to receive a response without having to follow up again.

Scheduling Your Day

Another great way to stay focused during the day is to schedule all of your emails to go out at a certain time, perhaps around the time you will be leaving for the day. This allows you to answer emails at preprogrammed times throughout the day, but not being a slave to pinging notes back and forth when you would prefer to focus on other tasks. The hope is that others will respond to your requests at the end of their day, and you’ll have a wealth of actionable responses waiting for you when you come into work the next morning. It’s not difficult to schedule emails for delivery at a later time, and this simple productivity hack could save you over an hour each day — providing you with a significantly greater amount of targeted time to pay attention to what you need to accomplish each week.

You’re not getting more hours added to your day, and there’s almost always more than you can accomplish in any given week. Using these simple email scheduling tips to delay your email deliveries helps you eke more work (and fun!) out of the time that you do have available.

There’s a new scam targeting highly-trafficked Instagram accounts, and anyone with several thousand followers on their account — including businesses and clients — are fair game to the fraudsters. The scheme masquerades as a false claim of copyright infringement, according to Kaspersky Labs, who first noticed the new way influential and popular users are being cajoled into giving up their credentials to attackers.

How can you tell if your company or a client is in the crosshairs? The first sign of attack comes in the form of an official-looking email, seemingly from the team at Instagram.

“Your account will be permanently deleted for copyright infringement,” the email threatens. Tripwire reports in a recent article that the scam then requires action in the next 24-48 hours that involves “addressing the claim” and “verifying credentials.” This is where the user is required to type in the account’s password, which hands over the keys to the social media account to the attackers. It doesn’t end there, though — Tripwire warns that an “email verification” is required in addition to the credentials verification, where the user is asked to choose their email provider and give up the username and password for that login as well.

Kaspersky warns the false emails from Instagram are extremely similar to actual Instagram addresses. They include “mail@theinstagram.team” or “info@theinstagram.team.” Protecting your business or your clients from giving up the information in the first place is paramount — once the information is handed over, scammers can then demand ransom to return the account, spread malicious content across the page, and of course, change the information required to assert control over the account, like passwords and security questions. Tripwire encourages managers of popular Instagram accounts to enable two-factor authentication to make it significantly more difficult for attackers to gain access to the account. Kaspersky advises staying up-to-date on best practices, like avoiding suspicious links and only logging into Instagram through the official app.

If you’re like most people, you’ve got valid concerns about your personal privacy while browsing the internet. After all, Facebook and other organizations with a huge online presence have recently been caught dropping the ball regarding protecting the privacy of their users, so it’s only natural to wonder if your privacy is being further compromised and how it’s being done, which leads us to the primary question: What measures can the average internet user take to help ensure that the details of their browsing histories are limited to anyone who may be keeping tabs?

Fortunately, you’re not helpless in this situation. However, if you’re like many current users, you may be already using the “Do Not Track“ option in your browser and possibly gaining a false sense of security by doing so. Unfortunately, all this option really does is convey to the websites you visit that you don’t want them to log your browsing history, but it doesn’t prevent them from doing so, and many completely ignore the request. In fact, this option will probably be removed in the near future.

Fortunately, your browser offers other ways to help ensure your privacy. Following are several browser-specific tips and tools designed to help keep your history safe from the prying eyes of cyberspace.

Firefox

Firefox’s privacy controls are found under the Privacy & Security tab in the Options menu. You can block third-party cookies from there, accessing Content Blocking and selecting Private Mode. You can also choose to have your cookies automatically erased each time you end your browsing session. Firefox also allows users to customize this option on a site-by-site basis under the Settings menu, which results in pop-prompt requesting permission the first time you access individual websites. You can also specify and limit the kinds of data that you allow the browser itself to collect and store, such as technical details about Firefox’s performance and various extensions you’ve installed on your computer.

Safari

If you’re running Safari, you’ll be glad to know that the browser already does some of the work for you when it comes to protecting your privacy — disabling third-party cookies is Safari’s default mode. It also gives you the option of blocking all cookies, but users often consider that a pain because it creates a situation where auto-login doesn’t work, and they must log in every time they visit their favorite sites, including email and social media. Like Firefox, Safari has a private browsing mode that deletes cookies and history once the browser has been closed.

You can also access Safari’s Manage Website Data tab to see what websites have already logged and to delete that data if you want. Under the Preferences setting, you can click Websites to control which apps and sites you want to allow to access your computer’s microphone and camera.

Chrome

Chrome provides users with the capability to adjust their privacy settings using Content Settings under the Advanced Settings option. You’ll be able to disable cookies here, but that will leave you with the inconvenience of losing auto-login. Some people find the extra layer of protection worth the hassle, but cookies aren’t really a major culprit when it comes to privacy breaches because regular cookies can’t be seen by apps or other websites.

Third party cookies, on the other hand, are those used by advertisers to track the overall browsing activity of users for the purpose of creating targeted ad campaigns. You can easily disable these in Chrome by simply switching the “block third-party cookies“ option to ON in the Content Settings permissions. You can also limit access to your location, camera, microphone, and USB devices.

Edge

Microsoft Edge functions as a part of Windows, and its user-friendly interface makes customizing privacy controls easy. Under the Privacy & Security tab in Settings, there are options allowing users to allow all cookies, disable all cookies, and disable only third-party cookies. Edge also offers a private browsing mode similar to those of the other browsers mentioned above. Under the Advanced tab in the Settings menu, you can access Manage Permissions to control who sees your location and can access your microphone or camera.

However, the browser options given here are just a part of a bigger, more complex picture when it comes to online privacy. Google still records user activity and even saves all of your search history. You can delete this by going to your My Activity page on Google, selecting Search History from its dropdown menu, and clicking on Delete. To stop it for good, you can access Activity Controls and turn off tracking for Web & App Activity. Google also saves all of your voice searches, but you can remove them by going to their Voice & Audio page and clicking on Manage Activity.

Some users opt to use a VPN when browsing the internet because it generates proxy IP addresses, so although activity is tracked, it can’t be traced back to the user. Others install various ad blockers for even more protection, and the super-vigilant often opt for the added security of using a private browser. No matter what your privacy concerns, there’s a workable cocktail of tools and strategies that can provide you with a customized solution.

It doesn’t matter whether you are a 10-person team or a Fortune 500 conglomerate, relocating your office is going to take some planning and forethought. The last thing you want is to be forced to close up shop for an extended period, stalling your business due to unexpected issues.
Moving your office should signal growth to your client base; not chaos. So how can you take your business to the next level – and the next address? The key to a successful transition is preparation. You have a marketing strategy … a client care strategy … and a business building strategy … so why not a moving strategy?

Creating a Plan

It is never too early to start planning your big move. This means devising a plan for individual departments as well as the business as a whole. Remember, time is of the essence when it comes to moving an office. The faster you can get your new digs up and running, the faster your team can get back to work.
The first thing you need to do is to appoint a moving manager. This is the point man designated with coordinating the entire office relocation. This includes everything from packing up all necessary files and ordering new stationery to make sure every department has what they need to work on the go for a few days.

More than just a packing or moving expert, the relocation manager knows exactly what is necessary to get your office from point A to Point B with as little downtime as possible. Once you have a moving manager in place, it is time to begin assigning teams to handle individual aspects of the move.

Hire Professional Movers

Not every commercial moving company is equipped to handle large office relocations. Be sure to choose a company that understands the nuances of relocating a business. Remember, they will not be simply moving your desks and chairs from one place to another; they will also be responsible for securing sensitive files and making sure everything makes it to the new location safely.

Equip the IT Department Properly

One of the trickiest parts of moving an office is disconnecting and reconnecting quickly and efficiently. This can only be accomplished if your IT department has what they need to succeed. Here are some tips to create a hassle-free environment for them to work in:

• Give the IT department at least three months to plan the transfer. This will include developing a step-by-step outline for the move.
• Evaluate the new space well in advance of the move
• Order upgraded equipment weeks before moving day to ensure everything has arrived
• Coordinate all installations for several days before the actual office move
• Make sure that all cabling is installed and tested prior to moving day
• Move the IT department first. This will allow them to work to get the rest of the office up and running while boxes are still be brought to the new site.
• Install and test all work stations prior to the first scheduled workday in the new office.

Relocating an office can be exciting, but that doesn’t mean the process is always easy, or that it will run smoothly. A lot of things can go wrong if you don’t plan properly, so be sure to follow the guidelines here to ensure that your staff isn’t stressed and your clients don’t feel abandoned during the move. When handled properly, you should be able to move the entire office and have everyone back to work within a day or two.

Moving soon? Contact {company} to arrange a complimentary consultation on how we can assist in the technology side of your office move.  Call {phone} or drop us an email.

Companies today operate under strict regulatory conditions. Complying with those regulations can be daunting, but failure to do so has serious implications. Managing compliance, therefore, is imperative. Microsoft offers Compliance Manager, a unique cross-Microsoft-Cloud tool, that allows organizations to manage and navigate the complex terrain of regulations. Here is how Compliance Manager works to help your company comply with the law and applicable regulations and standards.

Who is Compliance Manager For?

Compliance Manager is for any company or organization that needs a comprehensive and proactive tool to assess, track, verify regulatory compliance and assign tasks related to the same. Anyone who must comply with regulations or standards like the following would benefit from this tool:

• EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
• Health Information Portability and Privacy Act (HIPAA)
• International Organization for Standardization (e.g., ISO 27001 and ISO 27018)
• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

Essentially, the tool allows you to protect data and meet regulatory requirements via Microsoft cloud services.

What are Compliance Manager’s built-in features?

Compliance Manager features various tools to help your organization comply with regulations and standards pertinent to data protection and security. Here are three specific capabilities featured:

1. Assessment. The tool allows you to assess compliance from one place. Risk assessments are conducted on an ongoing basis.
2. Protection. Users can protect data across all devices, applications, and cloud services by using encryption, controlling access, and implementing information governance.
3. Response. Users can respond to regulatory requests through the incorporation of eDiscovery and auditing tools that allow you to locate relevant data for meaningful responses.

Through these features, Compliance Manager works to help you stay in and proactively manage compliance.

How does Compliance Manager Work?

Compliance Manager works by utilizing a single dashboard to see compliance stature. The dashboard provides summaries of your company’s assessments and action items. From those summaries, you can access controls and tools like exporting data to Excel.

You create assessments for the regulations and/or standards that matter to your company using Office 365, Azure, or Dynamic 365.

From these assessments, you receive actionable insights and detailed information about what Microsoft does to secure your data and help you comply with regulations.

Assessments

On the Assessments page, you are provided snapshots of your company’s compliance with specific regulations and standards — like those listed above — assessments of each.

For instance, compliance snapshots of your company will identify your company’s overall compliance with regulations like GDPR or standards associated with NIST or ISO. Each category is provided a “Compliance Score,” and the higher the score, the better your compliance stature.

On the same page, you are also provided with snapshots of assessments for each of these same categories. An Assessment Status is provided to let you know the status of the current assessment (e.g., in progress).

Under each of these snapshots, whether it is for compliance or assessment, you are additionally informed of:

• The created date;
• The modified date;
• The number of customer-managed actions and the number of those actions that have been addressed; and
• The number of Microsoft managed actions and the number of those actions that have been addressed.

Action Items

This page provides guidance on actions that could or should be taken to increase your Compliance Score. These are recommendations and are up to the company to implement.

Controls

Controls are the core of how Compliance Manager works. There are two controls: Microsoft and Customer.

Microsoft managed controls is a family of controls that align your company assessments with the standards and regulations. They are managed controls used to implement the assessment and assess compliance. Customer-managed controls, on the other hand, are controls that you as an organization manage. Here, you can implement actions recommended by Microsoft to increase your Compliance Score.

Compliance Manager is a tool to simplify compliance for organizations. It offers real solutions to a complex problem.