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Office 365

August 8, 2022

How To Give A Knockout PowerPoint Presentation

It’s not easy to stand in front of a group of people and deliver a PowerPoint presentation. But don’t worry, here are some tips and tricks that will help you give presentations that will impress your audience.

Understand your target audience

Before preparing your presentation, do some research about your target audience. Think about what kind of presentation they would enjoy. What sort of media do they prefer most, and what kinds of images and typefaces should you use to pique their interest?

Doing your homework on your audience will help ensure your PowerPoint presentation receives the full attention of your audience.

Talk about one idea per slide

Never cram several topics into a single slide, as this can overwhelm your audience. Instead, concentrate on one theme or topic per slide. This will help your audience better comprehend the message you’re trying to get across.

Use images instead of bullet points

Using pictures, graphical elements, or other visual components instead of bulleted lists, can help you command more attention during your presentation. Images can help your audience focus more on what you’re saying instead of reading what’s on the screen.

Use white space to enhance readability

White space, also known as negative space, is a design concept that refers to empty spaces in a layout. It isn’t always white; rather, it’s the background of the design, regardless of color or pattern, that doesn’t contain any text or images. When used correctly, white space will draw your audience’s focus to the most essential parts of your presentation.

Practice

Practice delivering your presentation days before a live or recorded event. You can try practicing in front of a mirror or recording yourself to see how well you’re delivering your presentation. Rehearsing several times can help you determine the flow of your presentation and identify areas for improvement.

Keep these tips in mind the next time you’re making a PowerPoint presentation to increase audience engagement. For more detailed information on how to make compelling PowerPoint presentations, give us a call today.

By admin
July 30, 2022

Protecting Your Microsoft 365 Environment And Data

For many businesses, Microsoft 365 is their go-to productivity suite because it offers powerful features, cost-saving benefits, and world-class security. And while Microsoft continuously looks for ways to address security concerns, the changing threat landscape can put Microsoft 365’s security measures to the test. Here are some of the most common security risks Microsoft 365 users face and how you can protect your business from these.

Infected file synchronization

Like most cloud services, Microsoft 365 allows users to automatically sync files stored on their devices to the cloud, such as in OneDrive. However, this useful feature is not without security risks. If a locally stored file is infected with malware, OneDrive will view the file as changed/updated and trigger a sync to the OneDrive cloud, with the infection going undetected.

Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps is a great tool against malware infection. Part of Microsoft 365 Defender, this app is designed to enhance protections for Office 365 apps. It also provides great visibility into user activity to improve incident response efforts. Make sure your organization’s security administrators set this up on your systems so you can detect and mitigate cyber risks as soon as they arise.

Security risks in dormant applications

Some organizations using Microsoft 365 often don’t use all the tools and services included in the productivity suite. For instance, your organization might use programs like Word, Excel, and SharePoint every day, but rarely use OneDrive. Unfortunately, dormant applications may be prone to attack. To counter this, it’s crucial to identify unused apps and have an administrator tweak user settings to restrict availability on these apps.

Unprotected communication channels

Phishing attacks and malware are two of the most common ways cybercriminals infiltrate a system, but there are other paths of attack that you may not be aware of. Microsoft 365 applications like Microsoft Teams, which can connect to external networks, may serve as a medium for ransomware and other types of cyberattacks.

To fight against such threats, train your staff in identifying potentially malicious files and links. You can also offer guidelines on how to handle and route sensitive files and communications to safe locations.

Vulnerabilities in SharePoint

Businesses typically use SharePoint to store sensitive information like personally identifiable data, so failing to secure SharePoint content against unauthorized users is one way to expose data and your business to cyberthreats. This can be disastrous for companies that are required to comply with stringent data privacy and protection regulations. Failure to comply may result in serious consequences not only for businesses but their customers as well.

To prevent this, limit administrator-level privileges and enable encryption. Additionally, set the necessary security restrictions per user for every application. This ensures that users and hackers who get a hold of user credentials cannot exploit or misuse privileges.

Microsoft 365 provides a powerful and convenient tool for businesses. However, as long as cybercriminals exist, there are always security risks to be aware of. If you have any questions about Microsoft 365 security or would like help in implementing these tips, our team of experts would be happy to assist you. Contact us today!

By admin
May 23, 2022

Up Your Schedule Management Game By Using Microsoft 365’s Bookings Feature

Are you struggling to keep track of your tasks and events? Microsoft 365’s new Bookings feature may be just what you need. With this feature, you can easily create and manage appointments for yourself or your team. Here is some key information on how to use the Bookings feature and some of its benefits.

Visibility

Bid goodbye to the days of scribbling on Post-its and frantically going through your schedule to find out where you’re heading for lunch. Bookings provides you with a unique scheduling app that is compatible on both desktops and mobile devices. Here, customers can select times and dates based on current availability — simply enter the contact information and then book it. The system then fully automates the process of managing your appointments.

No more rain checks

Cancellations and missed appointments mean wasted time slots unless you’re able to fill them up with new bookings. Avoid lost income by controlling how much advance notice is required to make a cancellation. With Bookings, appointments appear immediately in staff calendars and can be added or revised by customers in their own personal calendars.

Additionally, a confirmation email is automatically sent to the customer, followed by another automatic email reminder before the appointment time. The web page also offers a rescheduling service: customers can simply click on the link on the confirmation email and pick a time that’s better for them.

Synchronization

Once completed, the booking is then synced to a centralized calendar where businesses are given the option to reschedule, cancel, or reassign the appointment to other staff members as they see fit.

Should you decide to reassign a booking to staff members, Bookings offers a nifty feature known as “split view.” This shows which staff members are booked at which times, and lets you compare everyone’s schedules side by side. The appointments are synced not only to your calendar but to the staff members’ calendars as well. Moreover, this versatile system accommodates Office 365, Outlook, and even Google Calendar, so clients and staff can keep whatever calendaring service they prefer.

Double duty

Appointment setting might be the primary function of Bookings, but the system can also be utilized to build your company’s customer list. Once customers input their information into the system, it automatically creates contact entries for those customers. The contact card contains personal information such as your customer’s name, address, phone number, and email address.

And as your company grows, you can add more staff members as well as create additional booking pages for free. Furthermore, staff members aren’t required to have Office 365 subscriptions to be a part of the service.

Efficient tech resources aren’t enough to maintain a successful business anymore. To really stand out from competitors, you need comprehensive appointment management. Give us a call if you need any questions answered or issues addressed. We’re more than happy to help.

By admin
March 24, 2022

Why Office Delve Is Essential For SMBs

Since its initial release, Microsoft 365 has helped many companies improve productivity, collaboration, and efficiency. Bringing all these benefits together is Microsoft’s Office Delve.

What is Office Delve?

Office Delve is a cloud-based data solution, file hub, enterprise social network, and collaborative tool developed using Microsoft Graph. Delve is available for Microsoft 365 Business Basic and Standard, Office 365 Government, Office 365 Education, and Office 365 Enterprise. This nifty tool allows you to:

  • Discover new information – Delve displays information from different sources in Microsoft 365 that you may find useful for tasks you’re currently working on.
  • Discover what you need – Documents you have seen before or have recently worked on are highlighted and made easier for you to find, regardless of where they are stored. This makes it less taxing to find work you have done/started in the past, and continue from where you left off.
  • Discover new connections – Typing a name in Microsoft 365 will allow you to see what a user is working on, their connections, and even connect with them to build relationships and share information.

How does it work?

Microsoft created Delve with a tool called Graph to provide users with information they’ll find useful. Graph maps the relationships among the various Microsoft 365 users in your company and the content/information related to them.

This “map” is then used by Delve to provide users with the information they need, when they need it. Content and information are displayed on a card-based screen, which is found under the Delve tab in the main Microsoft 365 launch screen.

Aside from content such as profile information and document links, users can also see favorites, views, comments, and tags. This feature brings a deeper social integration into Microsoft 365.

Delve also orders content in different ways. Delve shows you what you’ve recently worked on and content that has been shared with you or has been presented to you. These are laid out in cards format for easier tracking and interaction.

Note that the Delve mobile app for Android and iOS are no longer available. If you’re working remotely and don’t have access to Delve via desktop, you can use Outlook Mobile instead, which has functionalities similar to the now-discontinued apps.

Is my data safe with Office Delve?

Delve keeps all your documents private by default, but you have the option to share them with other users. For example, if you have a document stored in a private folder, you’ll be the only one who can access and modify it through Delve. If that document is in a shared folder, it’s accessible to you and the people you shared it with.

If you want to learn more about Delve or have questions about other useful Microsoft 365 features, contact us today.

By admin
March 14, 2022

Microsoft Teams Gets Optimizations To Use Less Resources

Do you use Microsoft Teams and do you have an older PC that struggles with Teams video meetings?  If so there’s good news.  Microsoft has recently upgraded Teams and halved the power used by Teams video meetings to make life easier on people with older hardware.

Of course, even if you’ve got newer hardware this is still very good news because odds are excellent that the video meeting that you’re participating in isn’t the only thing you’re doing on your PC. Anything that Microsoft can do to make Teams less resource-intensive means you’ll have more resources for other uses.

Robert Aichner is a program manager at Microsoft Research.

Aichner had this to say about the recent improvements:

“We’re committed to ensuring great calling and meeting experiences for users on low-end hardware as well as those on high-end workstations and high-resolution monitors.

One of the factors we’ve addressed is the difference in power requirements for different customer profiles by ensuring Teams meetings are as energy-efficient as possible, regardless of setup.”

Video meetings rely on three power-intensive processes:  Capture, encoding and rendering.

Again, per Aichner:

“Isolating and optimizing each of these processes enabled us to reduce power consumption up to 50% for energy-intensive scenarios such as having over 10 users in a meeting when everyone has their video turned on.

A simple 3×3 video grid once required nine distinct rendering operations. By combining the streams and composing them into a single video, we have been able to consolidate operations in video rendering and significantly reduce the power requirements for each device used.”

The company made major improvements by redesigning how Teams handles grid videos with multiple participants.

Microsoft has stiff competition in the arena where Teams is operating, and there are several viable alternatives, which is why Microsoft is spending so much time and applying significant resources to the task of continually improving Teams.

So far it is working.  Microsoft Teams is a great productivity tool, and these changes just make it better!

By admin
March 10, 2022

Microsoft Rolls Out New Microsoft 365 Apps Admin Center Capabilities

The pandemic has expedited cloud migration timelines, and IT administrators have had to accomplish gargantuan tasks in record time, such as moving workflows to the cloud, securing company devices, and ensuring 24/7 data access. As the cloud becomes an increasingly pivotal part of business operations, Microsoft continues to improve the Microsoft 365 Apps admin center by adding new features that will make data management easier.

OneDrive sync health

With the OneDrive sync health feature, maintaining data integrity is easier than ever. IT admins can now readily check for sync statuses or errors by going to the OneDrive sync health dashboard and generating reports for specific administrative purposes. From the dashboard, admins can generate insights ranging from executive summaries to specific sync statuses of given devices, enabling them to filter the information they need so they can take action immediately in case they find sync issues.

Intelligent insights

Intelligent insights include features like Apps Inventory, Add-In Inventory, and Security Currency that allow IT, administrators, to strategically find and mitigate any issues. With these tools, they can gain an in-depth understanding of the organization’s Microsoft 365 environment and be privy to information such as:

  • What devices are running Office apps and which versions they’re running;
  • What Office add-ins are installed or running; and
  • Which servicing channel each device belongs to.

Knowing all this information can help administrators identify and manage unsupported Office versions and add-ins to ensure security and compliance.

Servicing automation with controls

This feature streamlines and automates Microsoft 365 Apps servicing to eliminate manual deployment and accelerate the rollout of updates and security patches. With this new feature, IT admins only need to apply a specific servicing profile to a set of devices to automatically deliver monthly updates for users or groups.

Admins can also specify exclusion date periods, or when Office apps updates should not run, such as during holidays or company meetings. They can schedule these dates to happen only once or regularly, depending on their organization’s schedule.

Servicing profiles: Rollback to a previous version

For businesses that use a servicing profile, admins can now roll back devices to the previous version if users encounter issues with the most recent version of the Monthly Enterprise Channel. For instance, if there’s an issue in Outlook’s latest update that hampers employee productivity, your IT team can revert Outlook to the previous stable version.

IT administrators can also view, pause, and resume updates on a per-device basis. If a user experiences issues during rollout, for instance, administrators can pause that user’s update and restore their software to a previous version while an IT personnel troubleshoots the issue.

Microsoft 365 Apps health

Microsoft 365 Apps health calculates an organization’s overall app health based on three criteria: app reliability, app performance, and supported versions. It also gives pertinent information such as Office app session crash rates and who reported such crashes, making it easier to identify issues and see how well Microsoft 365 apps are running during and in between deployments.

With these new features, administrators can better manage Microsoft 365 apps, and users can count on better experiences and fewer downtimes. If you want to learn more about how technology can increase your business’s operational efficiency, call us. Our IT experts are always ready to help.

By admin
February 10, 2022

Report Says PC Sales Went Up Ten Percent In 2021

According to the latest Gartner’s statistics, a total of 339.8 million personal computers were shipped in 2021. That was up from 309.1 million in 2020 which amounts to about 10 percent growth in the market.

The company noted that the fourth quarter of 2021 saw a 5 percent drop compared to last year, which may be signaling the end of the pandemic-fueled growth in sales.

Lenovo is the PC maker that has been top of the charts in recent years, and they were once again in the top spot, accounting for nearly a quarter (24.7 million) of PCs shipped in the year that just ended. HP was not far behind them with a 21.8 percent share, or 74.2 million units shipped. Then we have Dell bringing up the top three, scoring 17.6 percent of the market with 59.7 million PCs shipped.

Apple was at the top of the second tier with a 7.6 percent share of the market and shipping 24.3 million units. Acer and Asus rounded out the top six.

The interesting thing about the Gartner analysis is that it stands in stark contrast to rival Canalys’ projection that 2022 will be another year of record PC sales.

As Gartner sees it, the pandemic fueled a one-off, not-to-be-repeated surge in demand and points specifically to the 4th quarter data point as a sign that demand is slowing.

Canalys sees it differently and cites supply chain issues as the main driver behind the 4th quarter slowdown. Canalys insists that demand will remain strong throughout this new year.

Both companies have a very good record when it comes to predicting market moves, but only one of them can be right. All we can say is that we currently don’t have enough data to say for sure. Whatever way it shakes out, though, 2022 is bound to be another interesting year.

By admin
February 6, 2022

Leverage Business Intelligence To Achieve Your SMB Goals

Business intelligence (BI) tools used to be prohibitively expensive because they required hiring specialists to analyze business data. This is why only large companies could afford them in the past and why small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) were hesitant to implement them. But times have changed. SMBs now have access to a vast range of affordable BI tools that can improve data management processes. To stay ahead, your SMB should harness the capabilities of BI and develop effective business strategies using large volumes of data just sitting in your systems.

Whether you have always wanted to try BI or are on the fence about it, you can’t deny that it brings a suite of benefits that can help your SMB grow. Here are some of the top reasons why BI is changing the way SMBs do business.

Self-service BI tools are plentiful — and inexpensive

The emergence of self-service BI puts useful business analytics within reach of SMB owners who lack the big budgets of larger corporations. In fact, there are numerous self-service BI tools that you can use to get started without even spending a dime. Microsoft Power BI is a powerful and user-friendly application, and most businesses will find the functions they need in the free version. Zoho Analytics has a low entry-level cost, too, and the slightly pricier yet still affordable Tableau is another option worth exploring.

You already have the data you need

It’s easy to underestimate the amount of data your SMB already has at its disposal. In every area of your business, from finance and sales to customer relations and website management, the software packages you use to run your everyday operations reap tons of information that just sit in storage devices or the cloud.

By talking to the key people in your organization, you can get an idea of the kind of data you already have, how it’s generated, and where it’s stored. You can then utilize BI tools to transform that information into meaningful business insights that will inform your decision-making. There’s no need to invest in time-consuming data generation from scratch!

It’s easy to get started

BI is an intimidating term, especially for business owners who are not technologically inclined. But by taking small steps, it’s easy for anyone to get started. Before you know it, you’ll be enjoying the benefits of having data-driven, intelligence-based insights that will enable you to make better business decisions.

Most self-service BI tools come with built-in suggestions for reports that businesses commonly run and find useful. Some worthwhile statistics to explore include the percentage of your clients who cancel within a given period, website landing pages that generate the longest visits, and your most profitable individual products or services. You can also use BI to know the days or months in which you generate your highest revenues, as well as which of your clients bring in the most revenue and profit.

Harnessing data is the future of the business world — it’s how companies like yours can make smarter decisions that increase efficiency and profitability. And with a trove of self-service tools available in the market, SMBs no longer need a humongous budget to reap the benefits of BI. To find out more about implementing tools that can help you do smarter business, give Net Activity a call at 216-503-5150.

By admin
February 3, 2022

5 Things To Consider Before Upgrading To Windows 11

Windows 11 is out. And with its sleek design and new features, it’s no wonder that so many people are considering upgrading. But should you switch to the newest Microsoft operating system (OS)? Here are some reasons why you may want to wait.

1. Your computer doesn’t meet Windows 11 minimum system requirements

One of the main reasons that can keep you from upgrading to Windows 11 is that your computer might not be able to run it. Windows 11’s system requirements are quite high: your computer needs 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster with two or more cores on a compatible 64-bit processor or system on a chip (SoC). It also needs at least 4 gigabytes (GB) of RAM and 64 GB of available storage.

Although these standards aren’t extraordinary, a considerable number of users have outdated hardware that doesn’t meet Microsoft’s requirements for Windows 11. If you are one of them, you may need to purchase a new PC to get the latest OS.

2. Windows 11 has a lot of bugs

Windows 11 is still fresh out of the oven, and it’s far from being bug-free. Users have reported compatibility issues, missing notifications, and some built-in applications not opening or working as expected. The OS is still missing some features available in Windows 10, and issues are constantly being discovered and fixed, but these are to be expected of any newly released OS. So if you want to stick with a stable and reliable OS, it’s better to wait until Windows 11 is more mature.

3. You can’t access Android apps directly from Windows 11 (yet)

The Your Phone app currently lets Android phone users access mobile apps directly from their Windows 10 PC. This is an especially useful feature for remote and hybrid employees, as the ability to access phone apps on a larger desktop or laptop display and use a mouse, pen, or touchscreen helps with multitasking. If you are one of the people who rely on this feature, you’ll have to wait for the next Windows 11 update to get this functionality.

4. Windows 11 is very similar to Windows 10

Windows 11 wasn’t intended to be a new version of the OS. It was meant to be a substantial update to Windows 10, initially called the Sun Valley Update. That’s why save for a few features, many apps and functions look and work the same in Windows 11 as they do in Windows 10. So unless you’re looking for something radically different from what you have now, it may not be worth upgrading.

5. Microsoft will continue to support Windows 10 until 2025

If you are comfortable with your current setup and don’t have any urgent need to upgrade, you might as well stick with Windows 10. Microsoft has stated that it will continue to support the OS until October 14, 2025. This means that Windows 10 won’t become obsolete in the near future, so you can still enjoy bug fixes, security updates, and new features for this OS version for a few more years.

These are just some of the reasons why you may want to stick with Windows 10. If you decide that upgrading to Windows 11 is right for you, go ahead! But if not, there’s no need to worry — Windows 10 will still be here for a while. Either way, our experts can help you make the most out of your Windows setup. Give us a call today to learn more.

By admin
January 13, 2022

Windows 11 FAQs: What You Should Know Before Upgrading

With an adoption rate of less than 9%, Windows 11 isn’t currently as popular as its predecessor, Windows 10. But this doesn’t mean it’s less functional. Get to know the latest Microsoft operating system (OS) and you might just be persuaded to upgrade.

Windows 11 is relatively new to the market, so it’s no surprise that users have plenty of questions about it. From what Windows 11 is to how to install it, here is a list of everything you need to know about the new Microsoft OS.

What makes Windows 11 different from Windows 10?

Microsoft promises to improve its OS with every release, and that’s also the case with Windows 11. It features refined power and security features and redesigned key visual elements that give the OS a more modern look. It is also packed with new tools, apps, and sounds that come together cohesively to give you a refreshing PC experience.

Does Windows 11 take up more PC space than Windows 10?

No. Both versions of Windows require approximately the same amount of disk space. However, you will need extra space in your PC during the upgrade process. After about 10 days upon completing the update, Windows will clean up this extra disk space.

When can I get a PC that comes with pre-installed Windows 11?

Windows 11 is pre-installed on PCs that were available before the end of 2021, as well as on all new 2022 PCs. Older models with Windows 10 will be able to upgrade to Windows 11, given that they meet the minimum hardware specifications necessary to run the latest Microsoft OS.

What are the minimum hardware requirements for Windows 11, and how do I know if my PC meets them?

You can check the complete list of Windows 11 minimum hardware requirements here.

To see if your PC meets these specifications, download and run the PC Health Check app. Apart from providing a comprehensive eligibility check for your device and giving information on why your device is or isn’t eligible, it will also tell you what you can do if your device doesn’t meet the minimum specifications.

Will my current accessories work with Windows 11?

All accessories that work with Windows 10 and meet Windows 11 specifications should have no problems working with Windows 11. To be sure, you can always check with the manufacturers.

If my Windows 10 device meets the minimum requirements, when will I be able to upgrade to Windows 11?

While the Windows 11 rollout is expected to be completed in early 2022, it is already available for most of the devices in use today. But because not all eligible Windows 10 devices will be offered the update at the same time, you should run the PC Health Check app on your device to see if Windows 11 is already available.

What if I want to install Windows 11 on my compatible device but the upgrade isn’t available to me yet?

The good news is that you can install Windows 11 on your eligible PC without waiting for Microsoft to offer the OS to you. From the official Windows 11 download page, simply choose how you’d like to install the update. The best and easiest installation option for most people is via Microsoft installation assistant, but there are also options for installing through a bootable USB, a DVD installer, or a disk image ISO.

What should I do if my PC doesn’t meet the minimum hardware specifications?

If your PC is not eligible for a Windows 11 update, don’t fret. You don’t necessarily have to buy a new PC — at least not yet. You can stay on Windows 10; it remains a great version of Windows and it will be supported until October 14, 2025.

How much is the Windows 11 upgrade?

Upgrading to Windows 11 is free for PCs running the most current version of Windows 10 and have the right hardware specifications. To check if you’re running the latest Windows 10 updates, go to Settings > Windows Update.

Note that the free upgrade offer doesn’t have a specific end date, so there’s no saying how long it will last. It is within Microsoft’s right and discretion when to cancel the free offer, but the end date should be no sooner than one year from Windows 11’s general availability.

If I’m eligible for Windows 11 but decline the upgrade, can I upgrade later?

Definitely. You can upgrade anytime by simply going to Settings > Windows Update.

What will happen to my files when I upgrade to Windows 11?

All your data will transfer by default when you install Windows 11. However, it’s recommended that you back up your files first before installation so you can have a copy of these in case anything goes wrong. Learn more about how to back up your data using OneDrive PC folder Backup here.

If I upgrade to Windows 11 but don’t like it, can I go back to Windows 10?

Yes. Within 10 days of installing the Windows 11 upgrade, you can easily return to Windows 10 while keeping your files and data. To do so, go to Start > Settings > System > Recovery, then click on Go Back.

After 10 days, the “Go Back” option will no longer be available, and you will need to back up your data so you can do a clean install of Windows 10.

These are just some of the questions most users ask about Windows 11. If you have any more queries about the latest Microsoft OS, don’t hesitate to give our experts a call.

By admin

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