Here’swhyyouneedtoautomatemore, now,p1
Helpful tips for keeping your shared cloud storage organized, p2 Who’s to blame for a cyber security breac?, p3
You need to watch out for replychain phishing attacks, p4 Reduce risk when you lose a mobile device, p5 Have a Bone to Pick?, p6
Villain of the month, p7 Staff Highlight, p8 Did you know... your executives might be your weakest link?, p9 Computer Upgrades and Replacements, p10 Entertainment, p11 Featured CustomerA full service accounting firm that comes to your location, on your schedule and your terms., p12
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER, WRITTEN FOR HUMANS, NOT GEEKS
See page 8 for more details
Most staff love automation.
Because it’s about creating a set of rules that software can follow automatically, so humans don’t need to do boring and repetitive tasks.
Who in your business would be against that?!
As well as saving you and your employees valuable time, automation has loads of other benefits for a business.
You should see a productivity boost as people can get more done in the same amoun of time. It can also produ a leap in motivation and job satisfaction.
That’s because your people are spending longer enjoying the work they do.
They’ll feel more listened to as you’ve made their jobs better and will reward that with increased loyalty. Recruitment might be easier as your reputation gets a boost.
Read page 5 for full story
Another benefit of automating tasks is for your customers. Perhaps they can get a response to a question a lot faster. Or maybe have a smoother experience when they deal directly with you.
So which tasks in your business could be automated? Even the simplest automation can have a really big impact on the way your business works.
folders, it’s harder for everyone.
They often can’t find what they need. It also leads to the creation of duplicate folders for the same thing.
Map out the hierarchy of folders and how to name each thing. For example, you might have “departments” as an outer folder and nest “projects” inside.
With everyone using the same naming system, it will be easier for everyone to find things. You also reduce the risk of having duplicate folders.
Cloud file storage revolutionized the way we handle documents No more having to email files back and forth No more wondering which person in the office has the most recent copy of a document
But just like the storage on your computer’s hard drive, cloud storage can also get messy Files get saved in the wrong place and duplicate folders get created
When employees are sharing the same cloud space it’s hard to keep things organized Storage can be difficult to keep efficient.
Disorganized cloud storage systems lead to problems. This includes having a hard time finding files. As well as spending a lot of extra time finding needed documents.
Has your office been suffering from messy cloud storage? Does it seem to get harder and harder to find what you need?
Here are several ways to tidy up cloud storage spaces and save time:
Use a Universal Folder Naming Structure
When people use different naming structures for
When you have too many folders nested, it can take forever to find a file You feel like you must click down one rabbit hole after another When people need to click into several folders, it discourages them from saving a file in the right place
To avoid this issue, keep your file structure only two to three folders deep This makes files easier to find and keeps your cloud storage more usable
Many cloud file systems allow you to use color tagging on folders Using this can make a folder or group of folders instantly recognizable This reduces the time it takes to find and store files
The more folders people have to click into to find a document, the more time it takes Folders can quickly add up as employees create them, not knowing where a file should go
Use a rule for your cloud storage that restricts folder creation to 10 files or more.
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This avoids having tons of folders with less than a handful of files in them. Have someone that can act as a storage administrator as well. This can then be the person someone asks if they’re not sure where to store a file.
We’re all guilty from time to time of saving to something general, like the desktop on a PC. We tell ourselves that we’ll go back at some point and move the file where it should be.
This issue multiplies when you have many people sharing the same cloud storage space. Files that aren’t where they belong add up fast.
This makes it harder for everyone to find things.
Promote the slogan “take time to save it right” among the staff. This means that they should take the extra few seconds to navigate where the file should be to save it. This keeps things from getting unmanageable. If you use a file structure that’s only 2-3 folders deep, then this should be easier for everyone to abide by.
Weallknowwhatahuge dangeracybersecurity breachcanbeforabusiness. Andjusthowmanybusinesses arebeingbreachedrightnow.
In truth, we hate having to write this. We don’t want to feel like we’re scaring you, or being all doom and gloom! But it’s really important that you’re fully aware of the risk to your business if you suffer a breach.
reported data breaches rose 68% compared to 2020
And while it’s a good idea to implement the right cyber security tools to help reduce the risk of an attack, it’s practically impossible (or definitely unworkable) to give your business 100% protection from attack, just using software tools.
Because according to research, 85% of data breaches are caused by human error.
If that happens, who’s to blame for your cyber security breach?
Your employee? Or you, the business owner /manager?
It’s a difficult question. Sure, your employee is likely the one to have clicked the link or downloaded a bad file that turned out to be malware. They may even have disabled security features to try to speed up their work.
However, as the business owner or manager, it should be your responsibility to reduce the risk of that happening in the first place.
It all starts with training your people regularly to make sure they understand the risks and how to avoid them. But you should also have the right policies in place to remind your employees of best practice, and what happens if they fail to
on next page)
comply.
Employees are your first line of defense against security breaches. They can only ever be as good as your cyber security strategy. Get that in place and everyone knows:
What’s expected of them
How to avoid risk
What to do if things go wrong.
We say, don’t worry about who’s to blame –just get your ducks in a row, starting with your cyber security strategy. If we can help, get in touch.
Phishing. It seems you can’t read an article on cybersecurity without it coming up.
That’s because phishing is still the number one delivery vehicle for cyberattacks.
80% of surveyed security professionals say that phishing campaigns have significantly increased post-pandemic.
Phishing not only continues to work, but it’s also increasing in
volume due to the move to remote teams.
Many employees are now working from home. They don’t have the same network protections they had when working at the office.
One of the newest tactics is particularly hard to detect. It is the reply-chain phishing attack.
What is a Reply-Chain Phishing Attack?
You don’t expect a phishing email tucked inside an ongoing email conversation between colleagues.
Most people are expecting phishing to come in as a new message, not a message included in an existing reply chain.
The reply-chain phishing attack is particularly insidious because it does exactly that It inserts a convincing phishing email in the ongoing thread of an email reply chain.
How does a hacker gain access to the reply chain conversation? By hacking the email account of one of those people copied on the email chain
The hacker can email from an email address that the other recipients recognize and trust The attacker also gains the benefit of reading down through the chain of replies This enables them to craft a response that looks like it fits
They may see that everyone has
been weighing in on a new product idea for a product called Superbug. So, they send a reply that says, “I’ve drafted up some thoughts on the new Superbug product, here’s a link to see them.”
The reply won’t seem like a phishing email at all. It will be convincing because:
It comes from an email address of a colleague. This address has already been participating in the email conversation. It may sound natural and It may use personalization. The email can call others by the names the hacker has seen in the reply chain.
and reference items in the discussion.
Business Email Compromise is Increasing
Business email compromise (BEC) is so common that it now has its own acronym. Weak and unsecured passwords lead to email breaches. So do data breaches that reveal databases full of user logins.
Here are some ways that you can lessen the risk of reply-chain phishing in your organization:
Use a Business Password Manager Put Multi-Factor Controls on Email Accounts Teach Employees to be Aware
Productivity can be challenging to track, no matter where employees are working. How do you know they’re using their tools as effectively as possible? How can you enable them to adopt best practices?
You can’t grade productivity simply by “clock in/clock out” times. In today’s hybrid and mobile offices, the value and work product an employee brings is a better gauge. But you also must look at what may be getting in the way of great employees doing great work.
If your company uses Microsoft 365 then you have a tool you can use to find nuggets of productivity gold. This tool is Microsoft Productivity Score
What Does Microsoft Productivity Score Do?
Microsoft Productivity Score looks at some core areas of your employees’ workflow and gives you helpful insights that you can share with your staff. These insights help to boost their performance. It also includes hardware-related information.
You can use this to see if your company tools are holding people back.
Automatic Metrics Tracking Insights to Understand the Data
Recommended Actions to Take
MS Productivity Score looks at the following areas.
People Experiences
Communication
Content collaboration
Mobility
Meetings
Teamwork
Technology Experiences
Endpoint analytics (You need Intune for these)
Network connectivity
Microsoft 365 apps health
Special Reports
Few things invoke instant panic like a missing smartphone or laptop. These devices hold a good part of our lives This includes files, personal financials, apps, passwords, pictures, videos, and so much more.
The things you do in the minutes after missing a device are critical
This is the case whether it’s a personal or business device The faster you act, the less chance
Whileoldertechnologymaystill runfineonyoursystemsthat doesn’tmeanthatit’sokayto use.Oneofthebiggestdangers ofusingoutdatedtechnologyis thatitcanleadtoadatabreach.
Outdatedsoftwareand hardwarenolongerreceivevital securityupdates.Nosecurity patchesmeansadeviceisa sittingduckforacybersecurity breach GetRidofThisTechNowIf
Ifyoucatchaphishatwork,informingyour supervisorcanbeanimportantstepinstopping thespreadofthescam.
Bymakingyoursupervisorawareofthe situation,theycanprovideyouwiththe company'snextsteps,andalerttheteam sothatnooneelsegetshooked.
Notewhatthescamentailed,andtheaddressit supposedlycamefrom,butdonotforwardthe email,asthismayincreasethelikelihoodofthe maliciouslinkorattachmentbeingclicked.
Ifyouthinkyou'vecaughtaworkphish,but you'renotentirelysure,somecompany'shavea "phishtank"whereyoucanforwardsuspicious emailstoITforfurtheranalysisbefore interactingwiththem.
Ifyouthinkyou'vecaughtaphish,orarejust unsure,andhavealreadyinformedyour supervisor,theymayadviseyoutoupdateIT,as well.BykeepingITintheloop,theirdepartment cansendoutappropriatealertstothecompany andhelpcontainanypotentialthreats.
Findingaphishingattemptinyourpersonal inboxmayfeelabitmorethreatening,asitcan comeacrossasapersonalattack,butknowthat you'renotalone.Governmentagencieshave onlineformsthatyoucanfillouttoreportyour scam,andhelpfightfraudoverall.
Sharingyourexperiencewithphishingattempts withfriendsandfamilycanalsohelpspreadthe wordaboutcurrentlycirculatingscamssothat yourlovedonesdon'tgetcaughtnext.
Each month we highlight a scam that demonstrates tactics criminals are using RIGHT NOW, that way you'll be better prepared when the next scam hits.
Walter has always wanted a dog, and now that his new job lets him work from home, it is the perfect time to find a furry friend. He started searching online and found one woman who was moving to a new apartment that didn't allow pets She was hoping to re-home her pup as soon as possible so that he would not have to go to a shelter. The ad did not include much information about the dog, but Walter didn't think anything of it because the pictures were so cute. He reached out to the woman to express his interest in adopting the pet, and even offered her references. She never asked any questions of him, but did request that he pay a "holding fee" and cover the charges to ship the animal from her location. Walter asked if he could just go pick up the dog so that they could meet in person, but the owner refused claiming she was too busy with the move.
Rehomingadsthatdonotincludeinformationonthe pet,theirpersonality,orhealthinformationcanbea causeforconcern.
Alegitimaterehomingofteninvolvestheownerasking questionsoftheadopter,orincludesanadoption application
Limitingin-personcontactbynotallowingameet-andgreetisoftenabadsignthattheanimaldoesnotexist.
One common pet adoption scam requires the adopter to pay for the "shipping cost" of the animal. The adopter is sent to a fraudulent website to input their information. The money is taken from their card, but the animal never arrives.
Another way that scammers can easily steal money from potential adopters is by requiring a deposit to "reserve" the animal. Keep an eye out for suspicious forms of payment, as well, such as cash, wire transfer, or gift cards.
Manyclassified/advertisingwebsitesbanthesaleofanimals,however,sellerscanoftenskirt theserulesbyusingtheterm"rehoming."Theeasiestwaytoavoidpetadoptionscamsand stop the use of online forums to buy and sell animals, is to adopt from a reputable animal rescue/organizationorfromyourlocalanimalshelter.
ChristianjoinedCapitalteklast year,October13,aspartof helpdeskteam.Hegraduated ComputerScienceDegreein2004. Putupinternetcafeinthe provincerightaftercollege.Andin 2006hemovedto thecitythen joinedBPOindustryastechnical supportrepresentativefor6years. Hesupportedcompanieslike NetworkSolutions,AT&T, Microsoft,andeBay In2012,he joinedITOindustryashelpdesk andwaspromotedtoL2Helpdesk andRemoteDesktopManagement supportforcompanieslike McDonalds,Schneider,Xerox, Microsoft,HCLandWSP.
Heismarriedfor13yearsnow with2lovelykids.Onweekends, theygooutoftowntoexperience natureandkidscanhavemore timeplayingoutdoorandlessen
gadgetsusage.Helovesplaying poker,chessandstudying Spanish(it'sgoodtoknowa3rd language).Hedon'tbelievein luck Forhim,youtendtocreate yourownblessings.Youmust prepareyourselfsothatwhen opportunitycomes,you’reready.
InCapitaltek,helearnednotonly tofocusonthetechnicalaspects butalsothebusinesssidefrom theperspectiveofcustomers. Focusingonhowtomaximize helpbyanticipatingtheirneeds andprovidingsuggestions.He alsolearnsnewskillsetswiththe helpoftheteamsincetheyhave differentbackgrounds.He’sable toimparthisknowledgeandskills aswelltothem.Heenjoys workingforCapitaltekbecauseof itssereneandproductive atmospherewiththe
You know when you set an email signature in Outlook on one device, but when you use Outlook on the web, the signature isn’t there?
It’s a frustration that’s been around for years. Traditionally
the solution has been to use independent software to manage your signatures.
But Microsoft is hard at work changing the way it stores signature settings. It is moving them to the cloud, so you get a consistent experience wherever you use Outlook.
It’s due to go into testing this
Nearly three quarters of execs believe AI will be a business advantage in the future
A typical person spends an average of 6 hours and 55 minutes online, daily
20% of Google searches are now done by voice
When it comes to cyber security, your executive-level managers might be the least vigilant members of your team.
A recent report showed that a huge 49% of execs had requested to bypass security measures on at least one occasion over
the past 12 months.
If you’re already in the practice of regularly training your people in cyber security, are you including everyone in the business, from the top down? It’s one of the best ways to make sure all your people are aware of the risks of skipping vital security steps.
month and be available next month… although it’s been delayed for a couple of years up to this point, so… watch this space.
“Just because something doesn't do what you planned it to do doesn't mean it’s useless.”
Thomas Edison, Inventor, and business legend
INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OF THE OF THE MONTH MONTH
No doubt upgrading your old computers will take time and money, but at the same time, they can benefit business owners in many ways. For example, technology is evolving quickly, and if you still have outdated computers, they can cost you in various ways, such as security risks, massive downtime, and regular maintenance. What’s the solution, then? The best solution is to upgrade old devices. If you’re a business owner and don’t know why you should upgrade your old computers, then you’re at the right place.
Before discussing the benefits, it’s essential to understand why upgrading old computers is necessary. maintain older computers and laptops
Now you understand why it’s essential to upgrade old devices. After reading the following benefits, business owners should definitely think about upgrading their old business devices.
When their age increases, the cost of ownership also increases. Finally, their performance and productivity will decrease over time. No More Time Wastage No More Performance Issues More Opportunities Save Money on Repairs Save You from Information Loss and Threat Risks
Computer fans get noisy
Startup and shutdowns are slow
You face issues when you do multitasking
Failure to update operating software
The cost of repair and maintenance is more than the replacement
All these signs indicate that you need to upgrade your old computers.
Read more here:
How many generations of computer have been invented (so far)?
What does CPU stand for?
Which company designed the first CPU?
What’s the name of the information storage used to store short-term running programs and data in a computer?
Which company invented the USB port?
The answers are below
5) It’s Intel, again. The first USB-compatible product was a Mac in 1998, followed by USB support for Windows 98 a year later. The rest is history
1) Five. The first generation started in 1940 with the vacuum tube. Our current generation is starting to use AI
Q: I can’t open an email attachment
A: First make sure this is genuine file – phone the sender to check Then, it’s possible you don’t have the software the file was created with Right click the document and select ‘Open With’ to see if there’s another option.
Q: I’ve had an email telling me an account needs updating. Is it genuine?
A: Don’t click any links in the email. If you’re even slightly unsure, the safest thing is to visit the website by typing the URL into your web browser.
accountrain inc is a full service accounting firm that comes to your location, on your schedule and your terms. They work hard to earn and keep your trust by being accurate, flexible and committed to you. They have been helping clients avoid expensive mistakes for more than 25 years and become part of the team, when you need
them and not when you don’t.
accountrain inc provides services to small and medium sized businesses and some of Canada’s most recognizable major organizations. Their philosophy is to be flexible so they are able to adapt to each organization’s specific needs
613-227-HELP (4357) help@capitaltek.ca capitaltek.ca
Founder and CEO Sergey Poltev, has been fixing computers since he was a kid. He immigrated to Canada to seek new opportunities, where he launched CALLGEEK (later renamed to CAPITALTEK) in 2008. Sergey was recognized in 2021 with a Forty Under 40 Awards from the Ottawa Board of Trade & Ottawa Business Journal.
