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OTWAdmin

Security

Ransomware Lessons for City Governments

U.S. towns and cities are being hit hard by ransomware and cyberattacks A city government's network is a prime target for hackers. Many small towns and cities don't have the tools, personnel, or budget to fight back. And when an attack is successful, who is to blame? Cities like Lake City, Florida have been in the news recently for falling victim to devastating ransomware attacks and the consequences afterwards. Lake City, Florida's computer network was devastated within hours. Their security and backup defenses were no match for expert hackers and sophisticated spear phishing campaigns. Their budget never extended to cover…
OTWAdmin
November 11, 2019
Tech Tip

Create Rules to Automatically Sort Incoming Mail in Outlook

When you receive a lot of email, your inbox becomes cluttered and difficult to navigate. Thankfully, you can use create Rules in Outlook to sort your incoming email. Here are the steps to set up a rule in Outlook that will automatically put incoming mail from a particular sender into a specific folder: Select an email in your Inbox from the sender you’d like to create a new folder for. Go to Rules > Create Rule on the toolbar. Check the “From…” box at the top of the Create Rule window. Check “Move the item to folder:” at the bottom…
OTWAdmin
November 4, 2019
AnnouncementsSecurity

Upgrade from Windows 7 to Remain Secure and Stable

It’s still coming whether we like it or not: Windows 7 End of Life. If your organization is still running Windows 7, what can you expect? Is this truly the end of Windows 7, and should you upgrade? The answer, realistically, is yes. It’s a smart move to upgrade now, for security and stability. Mainstream support for Windows 7 ended in 2015. Extended support ends on January 14, 2020. Windows 7 is now end-of-life. It will not be supported, nor will it receive regular patches and security updates. What's the risk of not upgrading? Failing to upgrade to supported software,…
OTWAdmin
October 14, 2019
Office 365Tech Tip

Dictate Instead of Typing in Office 365 Apps

Did you know that in many Office 365 applications you can dictate text instead of typing it? You may find this useful, especially if you need to respond to an email message and your hands aren’t free, or if you want to brainstorm out loud and capture your thoughts without taking notes by hand. First you should check if you have a working microphone. If you're using Windows 10, you can use the Voice Recorder app to do a test. Open this program and record a small snippet of audio. Play it back in order to see if your microphone…
OTWAdmin
October 7, 2019
Cloud SolutionsOffice 365Security

What Is Microsoft 365 vs. Office 365?

You may have started to hear about Microsoft 365. Is it the same as the similarly named “Office 365”? The two are different, and here we’ll explain the difference and what Microsoft 365 Business can offer your organization. First of all, Microsoft 365 is not the same thing as Office 365. Office 365 is a cloud-based suite of productivity apps, such as Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook. It’s the modern, cloud-based version of the Microsoft Office suite of products you’re probably familiar with already. Microsoft 365 Business is a bundle of services that include the apps and productivity tools of…
OTWAdmin
September 16, 2019
Security

How to Protect Your Business Against Former Employees

We’ve said this frequently, and we’ll say it again. One of the biggest security weaknesses that businesses face are their own employees. This isn’t pleasant, but it’s a truth that we have to face. Humans are a weak link in our cybersecurity defenses. When we make mistakes – forgetting to change a default password or clicking on a link we shouldn’t – we open the door for attackers. But there’s another way that your people can threaten your organization. It's from within: disgruntled or dissatisfied former employees. These are people who are no longer with your business but may still…
OTWAdmin
September 9, 2019
Tech Tip

How to Add Voting Options to an Outlook Email

Need to take a quick poll? Maybe you need to find out how many people in the office are coming to lunch – and this quick tip will show you how the voting options work in Outlook! To making voting options available in an email you are composing: Click on the Options tab on the Ribbon. In the middle of the ribbon, click on Use Voting Options, and select which answers you want to make available. After clicking, you should see an information message that says “You added voting buttons to this message”. Send your email! Recipients will receive your message with…
OTWAdmin
September 2, 2019
InfrastructureLeadership

2019 State of the IT Industry Landscape, Part 5: The Internet of Things and Wireless

In the fifth and final installment of our 2019 update on the state of the IT landscape, we look at two more industry trends: the Internet of Things (IoT) and wireless and wi-fi technologies. What are they, and why is demand increasing? Why is cybersecurity still of constant importance in these areas? Industry Trends: The Internet of Things (IOT) What is the Internet of Things? The IoT is a global network of objects that collect and communicate data via the internet. It extends Internet connectivity beyond laptops, phones, and tablets to an extremely diverse range of “things”. IoT devices include…
OTWAdmin
August 19, 2019
Cloud SolutionsLeadership

2019 State of the IT Industry Landscape, Part 4: The Cloud

This is part four of OXEN Technology’s 2019 update on the state of the IT landscape. In the first three parts we covered: the accelerating changes affecting the IT industry, the current economic outlook for the U.S. and the IT industry, and the growing importance of cybersecurity. In this section, we look at the effects of the cloud and cloud computing. Industry Trends: Cloud The future is here. Predictions of rapid adoption of cloud-based applications from only two years ago are already history. Today 91% of businesses claim to be using some sort of cloud computing. (And many small businesses…
OTWAdmin
August 12, 2019