Top 10 Video Conferencing Features

A feature-rich video conferencing solution can empower your teams to be productive no matter where they are located. It can help your company better connect with clients and other stakeholders. It can also make it easier to collaborate, problem-solve, and hold effective meetings in real-time.

Here is a look at the key features that can help your video users have the best experience possible.

1. Screen Sharing

For interactive meetings and webinars, screen sharing is vital. You want to be able to share your entire screen as well as individual apps on your desktop during a meeting. This makes it easier for your video conference participants to follow what the presenter is explaining.

2. Multiple Webcam Capabilities

During a video conference, it’s more impactful if you can see the face of the individual who’s doing the talking. If your business has a lot of remote workers or if you regularly hold meetings with employees on the go, look for dynamic webcam features. Ideally, your video conferencing solution will support multiple webcams so everyone can be seen – and understood – during the meeting.

3. VoIP

For remote teams, communicating with video should be as easy as connecting by phone or chat is. With video conferencing through VoIP, communicating is seamless. Users can switch from voice calls to video calls or group meetings by pushing a button. There’s no need to establish a new connection or pause communication to change channels or add participants.

4. Chat Features

Whether you’re broadcasting to a group of leads with a marketing webinar or holding a meeting with employees, your users will get more out of the experience if they can interact. This is why a robust chat feature is so valuable. Look for chat capabilities that allow your video conference users to share messages, including text and emojis, during a meeting or online event.

5. Remote Control

For collaborative meetings, this video conferencing feature is something you don’t want to miss. It allows participants to have direct control over your computer’s keyboard and mouse, making it possible to edit and make changes to shared documents in real-time.

6. Unlimited Recording

Most video conferencing platforms make recording easy, but you want to look for a feature that will offer unlimited storage in the cloud, as well as easy sharing capabilities. You should be able to record a meeting or webinar and share it with one click.

7. HD Video

For an even better meeting experience, HD video can make a huge difference. With high-quality video, everyone can see who’s speaking, making it feel like everyone is right there in the same room.

8. Branding Features

This is an important feature if you’re creating video content for customers, such as webinars or educational presentations. You’ll want to be able to include your company logo and any other branding, which will make your webinar content look more professional.

9. Dynamic Presentation Features

For complex presentations, you’ll want to have certain features to rely on. Ensure you can upload various file types, including MP4 videos, PPTs, and PDFs. This gives you the flexibility to add rich media to the presentation to keep your participants’ attention. Another advanced video conferencing feature that can empower better presentations is note sharing. You can capture a series of steps or a specific presentation segment and send it to participants as notes during the meeting or webinar.

10. Performance Reports

Performance metrics are important for evaluating how well received your presentations are, which parts are the most engaging, and how many people are attending your event. Look for a platform with both attendance and chat reports so you can get adequate feedback from your meetings and webinars.

It’s worth it to ensure you have all the right video conferencing features for your business. Advanced features make it possible to hold dynamic and effective meetings from anywhere in the world, at any time. Explore how Yeo & Yeo’s video conferencing tool, powered by Elevate, can empower your business.

Information used in this article was provided by our partners at Intermedia.

Once considered a leading-edge technology, blockchain is now an innovation and customer experience enabler in many industries.

But what is blockchain, exactly, and what role does it play in digital transformation? Here’s a look at blockchain, how it works, and how it delivers value to manufacturers and retailers.

PODCAST: On episode 10 of Everyday Business, host Jacob Sopczynski, principal in the Flint office, is joined by Robert Konsdorf, CEO of EOS Detroit. Listen in as Jacob and Rob discuss the basics of blockchain.

What is blockchain?

Blockchain is a mutually distributed ledger of transactions that everyone involved can see, but no one can alter after the fact. Because of the security and transparency it enables, especially when dealing with threats like cybercrime, blockchain is considered an architecture of trust that allows various parties to do business with one another confidently.

When two or more parties use a blockchain to permanently record shared transactions, each of them possesses a copy. They cannot edit a previous transaction—they can only add a new transaction.

Every time someone records a new transaction, a timestamp is automatically added to it, and all the other parties subsequently receive that update. This decentralized framework makes it much easier to validate the authenticity of transactions, creating the foundation of trust necessary for fruitful business relationships.

How can manufacturers and retailers take advantage of blockchain?

Blockchain increases supply chain visibility. In light of the global supply chain problems caused by the pandemic, this should be of great interest to manufacturers.

For example, manufacturers can create a blockchain to track materials quickly and accurately as they move throughout the supply chain, recording when and where they arrived in specific locations. Additionally, they can also track who handled them at the time they were received.

This improves traceability and compliance, reducing business risk. It also increases operational efficiency, enhances customer service, and can boost revenue growth.

Blockchain powers innovation for manufacturing and retail

Manufacturers and retailers that haven’t implemented blockchain should consider its business advantages and its value as a digital transformation enabler.

Manufacturers and retailers can use blockchain to accelerate key supply chain processes and improve compliance. They can also tap blockchain to enhance the customer experience, increasing their competitive prospects in a dynamic market. With all of the benefits that blockchain offers, there’s never been a better moment to explore this technology’s innovative potential.

Information used in this article was provided by our partners at Sage.

BYOD (bring your own device) refers to the practice of employees using their personal devices—such as smartphones, laptops, PCs, tablets, and other gear—on the job for the sake of convenience and comfort.

But there are downsides. Whenever someone accesses business data on a device that you don’t control, it opens windows of opportunity for cybercriminals.

Here are three questions you should consider when implementing a BYOD policy.

1. What happens if someone’s phone is lost or stolen?

What’s a pain for them could be a nightmare for you. Would you be able to encrypt your business’s data or delete it remotely? Would it be easy for a stranger to unlock the device and access the apps installed?

2. What happens if someone taps a bad link?

Lots of people read emails on their phones. If they tap on a bad link in a phishing email (a fake email that looks like it’s from a real company), is your business’s data safe? Despite what many people think, cybercriminals can hack phones in a similar way to your computer.

3. What happens when someone leaves?

Do you have a plan to block their ongoing access to your business’s apps and data? It’s the thing many business owners and managers forget when staff change.

If you haven’t already, create a cell phone security plan to go with your general IT security plan. Ensure everyone in your business knows what it is and what to do if they suspect anything is wrong.

BYOD is an excellent, if not inevitable, way to increase worker satisfaction and productivity and cut down on costs for businesses. But without carefully considered policies and security precautions in place, BYOD could become more of a nightmare than a dream for both the company and the employees.

If you need a hand, don’t forget that a trusted IT security partner (like us) can give you the right guidance. Contact Yeo & Yeo Technology today.

Fall may be the beginning of the homey season, but before you settle in for the winter, it’s essential to take a look at your technology. Are your passwords strong enough? Have you optimized your systems to improve security? We’ve put together a checklist to help you navigate “cleaning” your company’s systems and computers.

1. Check your passwords

Now is a good time to revisit your security procedures and review your password policies. It is recommended that users choose secure passwords which are at least eight characters. Passwords should be easy to remember but hard for others to guess. Refrain from using common phrases, public personal information, and repetitive passwords. Do not share passwords or give your password to anyone, even if you trust them. Below are some recommendations for acceptable-use policies for passwords in your company.

Remove the option of using commonly used passwords.
- You can limit the type of passwords users can have by “blacklisting” the following:
- Passwords that appear on frequently used lists, including breach lists.
- Repetitive and sequential characters, such as “1234” or “1111.”
- Context-based words, such as characters in their username or the name of the service being logged into.
Use Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
- MFA requires the user to know their password and approve that they are attempting to log in. Some forms of MFA include things you “know,” “have,” and “are.”
  - Know – You must know your password.
  - Have – You must have access to your phone, or token, to approve a login.
  - Are – You must have your fingerprint (or other biometric) to approve the login.

2. Ensure Your Systems are Up to Date

When your system does not have the most current patches and updates installed, it is more vulnerable to cyberattacks. Now is as good a time as any to ensure all your systems and software are up to date.

Check for Windows Updates on your workstations and servers: Windows does not always automatically clean up old update files. Run Disk Cleanup to remove old system files to help regain extra disk space.
Ensure Adobe Acrobat Reader and Java license are up-to-date: Java updates roughly once each quarter, sometimes more frequently. Old versions of Java can cause vulnerabilities. Make sure, once the newest version is installed, that the old versions are uninstalled. Adobe Acrobat Standard, Pro, and Reader can all be set to download and install updates through the settings automatically.
Check all software applications you run on your system for updates.
Update drivers on your system: You can do this by opening Device Manager and right-clicking each device and checking for updates, or you can check with your manufacturer for a solution provided by them.

3. Implement and Use Backups

Make sure you are backing up all critical data. Many backup applications will back up only default locations unless otherwise specified. Also, make sure you are not backing up files you don’t need.

Backups are a great, simple way to recover from a disaster, be it a natural disaster or a nasty bit of ransomware. If you get hit by ransomware and have a good backup of all your data, you don’t need to pay the ransom; you can restore from a backup taken before you were infected. Having this option will save time and money.

The best backup solutions use a 3-2-1 rule.

You should have at least three copies of your data. One live copy and two backup copies. If something happens to your live data, you want to be able to access your backups quickly. That is why it is important to have current and complete backups.
You should store data in two different mediums. If both copies are stored on the same system, and that system has a critical failure, you no longer have access to a copy of your data. You can use a cloud-based storage solution in addition to USB-connected external hard drives.
At least one copy of your data should be kept off-site. What would happen if your building and all of its contents were destroyed? Could you get another server and get back to business if your only backup is in a pile of rubble? That is why it is important to have access to your data from the off-site location, be it cloud-based or a remote location set up to receive the backups from your primary location.

Implementing these “fall cleaning” practices for your systems and computers will help you be more confident about your company’s data security.

In Q2, PhishLabs analyzed hundreds of thousands of phishing and social media attacks targeting enterprises, their employees, and their brands. According to PhishLabs Quarterly Threat Trends & Intelligence Report, Phishing volume in 2021 continues to outpace last year by 22 percent.

Key Findings of the Quarterly Threat Trends & Intelligence Report Include:

Cryptocurrency saw a 10x increase in phishing from Q1
Social media attacks were up almost 50% from January to June
51% of credential theft phish targeted corporate Office 365 credentials

Phishing Attacks to Watch For

Abuse of Free Email Accounts: The use of free email accounts by threat actors has increased. Cybercriminals most commonly use Gmail, Hotmail, AOL, and Outlook accounts.
Social Media Fraud: Fraud-related attacks are the most common form of social-media cybercrime. These attacks include the unauthorized sale of account credentials, exposure of banking details, and other financial threats.
Cryptocurrency Impersonation: Cybercriminals exploit the cryptocurrency industry by

impersonating cryptocurrency businesses to confuse customers and cash in on the sector’s skyrocketing growth.

How to Protect Your Business from Phishing Attacks

No matter how much money is spent on firewalls and antivirus software, phishing attacks find their way into inboxes. When all else fails, your employees are the last line of defense for your business data. Make sure they can detect cyberattacks with security awareness training.

Source:

“New Quarterly Threat Trends & Intelligence Report Now Available.” PhishLabs, 17 Aug. 2021, https://www.phishlabs.com/blog/new-quarterly-threat-trends-intelligence-report-now-available/

In the past month, we have received several reports of businesses being compromised by malicious emails. It only takes one member of your staff to click a bad link for hackers to access your network and data.

We have created a one-page info sheet to help you recognize common email scams and hacks that could be entering your inbox. Read the info sheet here.

We urge you and your staff to take precautions when opening emails and clicking links. The first line of defense against cyberattacks is you.

Here are 9 layers of email security that you can implement to protect your business.

Multi-factor authentication: The simplest and the most effective way to prevent unauthorized logins. Every time you log in to your email (or any other system), you have to confirm it’s you on a separate device. This is typically done with your mobile phone, either by receiving a code or using an app to generate a code.
Monitoring for unauthorized email forwarders: Hackers can play a clever, long game just by accessing your email once. An unauthorized forwarder allows them to monitor communications. It doesn’t even need to be the email of a senior member of the team. It’s surprising (and terrifying) how much we give away, bit by bit, in our daily emails.
Proper email backup: Unless you have bought a specific email backup, your emails are not being backed up and are not protected daily. Not many people realize this. Having a proper backup is critical, as it gives your IT support company many more options if you are attacked. They can completely reboot your email account, safe in the knowledge you won’t lose a single email.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) screening of emails: So you have this contact called Jon. And then one day, he signs off an email with his full name, Jonathan. You might not think twice about it. But a good AI system would pick up on this sudden behavior change and investigate the email further. These systems can be very clever at spotting potentially dodgy emails from the tiniest symptoms.
Improved security endpoints: Endpoint security means each computer you use to access email is locked down and protected. There are many different ways to do this. From enhanced security on each device to prevent it from being used for risky activities. To encryption of the data on the device, meaning it’s worthless to anyone that steals it. And even as far as banning USB devices (you can plug them in, but they won’t work… meaning they can’t do any damage).
Office 365 advanced threat protection: Robust Microsoft protection working for you behind the scenes. Your IT support company should know the correct way to implement it for your specific setup.
Awareness training: The weakest link in any email security setup is… the humans. Because emails can still get past all of the defenses already listed, the last line of defense (and frankly, the best) is the human looking at an email with suspicion. There are some amazing awareness training courses available. They’re delivered online, so your team doesn’t have to go anywhere. They’re not dull or techy. They’re designed to be fun, and above all, to make your staff pause when they’re sent that dodgy link to click. That pause can save you thousands of dollars and days of hassle.
Cyber insurance: It could be worth taking out a cyber insurance policy if only to follow the basic standards laid out by the insurance companies. Their job is to reduce their chance of having to pay out, right? That means they’re highly likely to know what ‘best practice’ currently is. So follow their advice as part of your overall email security protection.
Set up business processes and make them the culture: Don’t let the boss change the process on the fly! If you have an internal process for approving payments, it needs to be followed every time… ESPECIALLY by the boss. Because it’s when the boss cuts corners that the chance of fraud jumps up dramatically; the weakest link is humans, remember. When it’s the boss, and everyone wants to please them, it opens the window for fraud and encourages everyone to break the rules. Great leaders realize they need to act the way they want their staff to act… even if it’s an inconvenience.

For more information on preventing email attacks, read our Email Hijack eBook.

Spear-phishing attacks are defined by their targeted nature. Attackers will spend time researching their victims and organizations, designing attacks targeting specific individuals with a customized message.

According to security vendor Barracuda’s latest report, Spear Phishing: Top Threats and Trends, organizations are experiencing far more convincing campaigns, focusing on a broader range of roles in the organization than ever before:

1 in 10 attacks are Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks
The average CEO receives 57 targeted phishing attacks each year
IT staff receive an average of 40 targeted phishing attacks in a year
Microsoft remains the top impersonated brand, with WeTransfer in at number two

Barracuda identified four distinct categories of phishing attacks that exploit social engineering:

Business email compromise (BEC): A hacker will impersonate an employee, usually an executive, and request wire transfers, gift cards, or money sent to bogus charities.
Phishing impersonation: Cybercriminals will create emails posing as a well-known brand or service to trick victims into clicking on a phishing link.
Extortion: Hackers threaten to expose sensitive or embarrassing content to their victim’s contacts unless a ransom is paid out.
Scamming: Hackers create malicious links ranging from claims of lottery wins and unclaimed funds or packages to business proposals, fake hiring, donations, and more.

The roles cybercriminals target within an organization extend well beyond the CEO or IT, making every employee a potential target.

This is the very reason why it’s so important to ensure that every user – regardless of role – continually takes part in your Security Awareness Training program. By doing so, they will remain updated on the latest scams, campaigns, social engineering tactics, etc., and be able to quickly identify malicious email content and avoid being the person responsible for a successful cyberattack.

Information used in this article was provided by our partners at KnowBe4 and the report “Spear Phishing: Top Threats and Trends” from Barracuda.

View the Recording

In today’s hybrid work environment, it’s imperative to have a reliable, cost-effective, and secure communication platform that promotes collaboration and reduces unnecessary downtime.

But with issues like lag, poor scalability, and hidden fees, your existing, on-premise phone system could be holding your business back.

A sustained future starts with implementing a communication system that facilitates a modern work environment for your employees and strengthens connections between you and your customers.

In this webinar, we will discuss how cloud-based, unified communication (UC) systems, like Elevate, allow you to:

Increase workplace productivity by as much as 50% by boosting employee collaboration across multiple channels
Share information quickly and easily, how and when you want
Improve connections with customers in the “remote work” world
Secure business flexibility and continuity in times of disaster or difficulty

Join Yeo & Yeo Technology’s Matt Ruhlig and Elevate’s Amy Byrd on September 16 as they discuss how a UC platform can make your business better.

This webinar has concluded.

According to a report by Vade, phishing attacks increased in Q2 2021, including 4.2 billion phishing emails in June alone.

“Overall phishing increased dramatically in Q2 2021, with a significant spike (281 percent) in May and another 284 percent increase in June, for a total of 4.2 billion phishing emails detected by Vade for the month,” the researchers write. “The increase in May can be attributed to spambot activity, as well as an increase in Amazon and SMBC phishing.”

Vade adds that the sophistication and quality of attacks are also increasing.

“H1 saw a surge of advanced phishing attacks featuring sophisticated automation techniques and abuse of high-reputation domains,” the researchers write. “Due to the high level of targeting and automation we have seen in the first half of 2021, we should place less emphasis on the total number of unique URLs detected and more on the nature and quality of the threats received.”

Vade discovered a phishing campaign that used automation to create phishing pages that were tailored to their victims.

“In late June, Vade detected a sophisticated Microsoft phishing attack featuring an automated rendering of public logos and background images on Microsoft 365 login pages,” the researchers write. “When a victim clicks on an email phishing link, they are taken to a waiting page, the purpose of which is to determine if the user is the intended target. If the user is not the intended target, the phishing page is not shown. If the victim is the intended target, the hacker then makes an HTTP post request for the logo and background image of the victim’s corporate entity. The victim is then redirected to a custom Microsoft 365 login page with their company’s corporate logo and background image.”

Additionally, 2021 is already primed to go down as one of the worst years on record for ransomware attacks. According to a report by SonicWall, attempted ransomware attacks skyrocketed in the first half of 2021, with 304.7 million attempted attacks seen by the company. SonicWall researchers saw a record number of attempted attacks in both April and May but both months were beaten by June, which had a record 78.4 million attempted ransomware attacks.

Ransomware attacks in 2021 have already surpassed the 304.6 million recorded in 2020.

Yeo & Yeo Technology can help train your employees to identify social engineering and cyberattacks with our security awareness training and testing.

Looking to educate your human firewall? Contact Yeo & Yeo Technology.

Information used in this article was provided by our partners at KnowBe4 and the article “Ransomware attempt volume sets record, reaches more than 300 million for first half of 2021: SonicWall” from ZDNET.

Effective communication is a key driver for business productivity across all industries. Today’s business environment makes unified communications nearly an operational necessity.

What is Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS)?

With the advent of cloud computing, many businesses have turned to hosted services for managing IT resources that include network topology, servers, data storage, and even complete data centers.

This evolution in technology now extends to communication infrastructure, allowing providers to offer sophisticated functionality without the acquisition, maintenance, and management expense that goes along with building such systems in-house.

Benefits of Unified Communications

Today’s mobile workforce presents many challenges for businesses, from remote training and onboarding to geographically dispersed teams. Technology is the enabler that meets each of these challenges head-on. It provides the capabilities needed to manage these business requirements with sophisticated tools, such as live chat, video conferencing, and remote access to critical business applications.

Why Should Your SMB Adopt UCAAS?

Integrated unified communications offer many advantages for both large enterprises and small business owners:

Reduce the demand on existing IT staff. UCaaS providers manage equipment configuration, installation, and upgrades.
Cloud-based architecture ensures access from any location, leveraging the power of the internet.
Scalability – pay only for what you need, with ease of expansion as your business grows or needs change.
Financial advantage – UCaaS can often be funded as an operating expense, without the up-front cost of purchasing equipment or periodic upgrade costs.
Security – cybersecurity is a critical concern for most businesses. UCaaS providers provide a secure environment with continuous updates for subscriber protection. Many are also compliant with regulations such as SOX, PCI, and HIPAA.
Reliability – redundancy is built into UCaaS offerings, providing consistent access to business systems, phone connectivity, video conferencing, and internet services.
Reduced time to implement – providers handle planning, installation, and support, accelerating deployment time.

Small businesses (SMBs) may feel such use of technology is limited only to larger enterprises with huge IT budgets. However, UCaaS is a technology that offers a strategic advantage to businesses of every size.

Yeo & Yeo Technology’s unified communication solution, YeoVoice powered by Elevate, is a cloud-based collaboration platform that enables users to be more mobile, more productive and share ideas and content through a single platform. Contact Yeo & Yeo Technology to learn more.

Information used in this article was provided by our partners at Intermedia.

I know I just saved a document, but I can’t find where it went

This is more common than you think. You click ‘save,’ and when you try and reopen your file, it’s not in the folder you thought you’d saved it to. Don’t worry, open up a folder, click on ‘recents,’ and your document should be there. Look at the file information, and it will show you where you’ve saved it.

I clicked a link in a phishing email. What do I do?

First, do not enter any data. Disconnect your device from the internet. If you’ve got malware, this will stop it from spreading. Run a full malware scan. And then consult an IT expert. They’ll advise how safe your backups are and whether you need to change any passwords.

My apps keep crashing. What’s wrong?

Have you tried turning your device off and on again? If it’s still happening, try deleting the app and reinstalling it. If it’s still happening, you may be low on storage space.

In Q2 2021, KnowBe4 examined thousands of email subject lines from simulated phishing tests and in-the-wild emails. See the full infographic with top messages in each category for the last quarter or read a summary of the results below.

The Top 10 Most Clicked Simulated Email Subject Lines Include:

Password Check Required Immediately
Vacation Policy Update
Important: Dress Code Changes
ACH Payment Receipt
Test of the [[company_name]] Emergency Notification System
Scheduled Server Maintenance — No Internet Access
COVID-19 Remote Work Policy Update
Scanned image from MX2310U@[[domain]]
Security Alert
Failed Delivery

The Top 10 Most Common In-The-Wild Email Subject Lines Include:

Zoom: Important issue
IT: Information Security Policy Review
Mastercard: Confirmation: Your One-Time Password
Facebook: Your account has been temporarily locked
Google: Take action to secure your compromised passwords
Microsoft: Help us protect you – Turn on 2-step verification to protect your account
Docusign: Lucile Green requests you to sign Mandatory Security Training documents
Internship Program
IT: Remote working missing updates
HR: Electric Implementation of new HRIS

Key Takeaways

HR Phishing Clicks are Spiking

There has been a significant rise in phishing email attacks related to HR topics, especially those regarding new policies that would affect all employees. Standard phishing emails include:

Reminders to update and check passwords.
COVID-19 policy and procedure updates.

LinkedIn Still Draws the Most Social Media Subject Clicks

LinkedIn phishing messages have dominated the social media category for the last three years. Users may perceive these emails as legitimate since LinkedIn is a professional network, which could pose significant problems because many LinkedIn users have their accounts tied to their corporate email addresses. Top-clicked subjects in this category also include Facebook and Twitter notifications, message alerts, and login alerts.

Think Before You Click

These days, it is essential for all end users to take a moment to double-check a link or attachment and to question whether the email is expected or unexpected. Employees are an organization’s last line of defense. They can be the difference between a successful attack and an unsuccessful one with proper security awareness training and testing.

Looking to educate your human firewall? Contact Yeo & Yeo Technology.

Information used in this article was provided by our partners at KnowBe4.

How to Choose an IT Partner

One thing that we’ve learned the hard way is the importance of good IT for a business. Because we’ve all seen or heard exactly how bad IT can disrupt – or even finish – a business.

Devices are getting smarter, and software is becoming more intelligent. Data is becoming more transient, and it’s easier to access it on any device, from wherever you are. While this has endless positives, it also means that data security is increasingly more important.

As technology evolves, our businesses and business functions become ever more reliant on good IT. And great IT support. This eBook explores how a trusted IT support partner behaves and what great IT support looks like.

We discuss:

Creating an IT strategy
Reasons to switch IT partners
The importance of data protection
Asking difficult questions
What every IT support company wishes you knew about IT
Tips to help your internal IT team

We hope you find this eBook useful and that it covers many of the questions you have about choosing an IT support partner. Our team of IT consultants is eager to answer your questions or discuss IT partnerships in more detail.

Last year you probably saw a rise in your IT costs. Many businesses had to scramble to get a work-from-home setup created when we were forced into lockdown.

Getting your business set up so your team could work anywhere, at any time, on any device wasn’t cheap. There was a lot to consider – from network access and additional security to data protection – and even the devices your people would work on.

This year, it’s tempting to try to save money and stretch budgets. Especially when it comes to your IT. However, sometimes, it just makes good business sense to invest in new PCs or laptops rather than trying to get another year out of them. Knowing when that time is can be the tricky part.

Older PCs and laptops cost more to maintain. The cost of ownership increases as they age – a little like cars. And, of course, performance decreases over time. The optimal refresh cycle for your devices is around three years.

Often, if a device is more than three years old, it is cheaper to buy a new one.

A 5-year-old PC could cost twice as much to run as a new one.
A 4-year-old PC suffers 55% more security incidents than in its first three years.

When you look at it like this, the short-term savings disappear. And it can be an expensive mistake to continue to run an older device. So how do you know when it’s time to bite the bullet and buy new devices?

Start-up and shut down are slow

When start-up and shutdown are slow, loading applications, browsing the internet, and simply saving documents are typically slow. It’s a terrible way to kill productivity. And a sign that your computer is on its last legs.

You’ve got multitasking issues

If your device can’t process several jobs at a time, or if you struggle to go back and forth between applications or tabs in a browser, it might be time for a new one. Insufficient RAM (computer memory) is usually the culprit.

You can’t update your operating software or security

Updates are vital. Especially when it comes to your operating software. Not only does running old software leave you without support if something goes awry, but it also leaves you more susceptible to a cyberattack and other security issues.

Your computer’s fans are noisy

This can be one of the first signs that your device is nearing its time in the computer graveyard. If you can hear the fans running and you’ve only just started working on the device, or if you’re not performing tasks that should be getting the device all hot and bothered, it’s not a great sign. It could be that your applications and operating software are all updated, but they’re maxing out the device’s hardware causing it to overheat.

Upgrading your hardware leads to compatibility issues

Upgrading some aspects of your hardware can be the first step in giving your device an increase in speed and power. However, upgrading some of the parts can lead to compatibility issues in an older device.

If the cost of upgrade or repair outweighs a replacement

Sometimes it’s not worth the price of a repair or replacement part. It may not fully rectify your issues or last as long as you’d like it to. As with anything regarding your business devices or infrastructure, always consult your IT support partner before making any big decisions. It can be costly to replace one device, let alone a fleet of them.

Our professionals at Yeo & Yeo Technology can discuss your technology requirements and make the best recommendations based on your budget and needs. Contact us today.

Thanks to the pandemic, many businesses have realized that their current IT service provider is not truly a partner but just another supplier. They’ll fix things when they break, but there’s no genuine care or concern in helping to avoid problems in the first place.

That’s not what you should want or need from an IT service provider. What you should be looking for is an IT partner. With this in mind, we wanted to share the top 5 questions business owners and managers are asking that we love to say ‘Yes’ to.

#1 – Can we work together in partnership, rather than just calling you when things go wrong?

We want to work with business owners and managers who understand the power of a more permanent solution to their IT needs. Then, we can be the partner they rely on as well as being there for day-to-day issues. While we want to hear from you when things go wrong, the proactive work we do between those times will minimize the frequency and scale of emergencies.

#2 – Can your services help me grow my business?

It stands to reason that the more tailored your infrastructure is to you and your team, the more streamlined your business will be. And the better the product or service is that you deliver to your client. Our goal is to get to know your team and your business inside out. The better we know you, the easier it is for us to see how things can work smoothly and what needs to be improved.

#3 – Do you work proactively or just fix things when they break?

We work proactively because experience tells us that it’s the best way to keep your systems running at optimum levels and ensure that your data is safe and secure from a breach or loss.

#4 – Do you have a clear plan in place if our IT goes down?

While we’re getting to know you and your team, we learn about the systems that are vital to your business, and we can help you create a procedure for any potential problems or breaches to be reported. If a breach occurs, we react as if it were our own business with the issue, minimizing both data loss and downtime as far as possible.

#5 – Can you maintain and update our systems without disruption to the team?

Most of what we do has zero disruption to you and your team. In the background, we make necessary updates, check that data is being backed up as it should be, and ensure there are no potential security breaches.

Do you have a question we haven’t answered?

We’d love to discuss how we can help your business reach its goals this year. Contact Yeo & Yeo Technology today.

As the world changed in the last year, business management practices changed too. To respond to new business needs, Sage has released updates to the ERP solution, Sage 100.

So, what’s new? Here are the highlights.

1. Enhanced security features

Several pre-defined role templates were added to make it easier to create specific roles for your business. Role Maintenance now allows you to quickly assign and remove users from roles and apply changes to multiple roles. Enhanced search and filtering capabilities allow you to find tasks and security options more easily.

These enhancements are not only more convenient; they make it easier for Sage 100 users to prove SOC compliance because they can run a report to show exactly who has access to what part of Sage 100.

2. Improved record-keeping capabilities

More paperless features were added to help companies decrease their carbon footprint and enhance the speed and accuracy of communications.

If you send orders, invoices and other business documents through Sage 100, it now has a detailed log to help confirm these emails are sent without any issues. Sage 100 now supports PDFs, Microsoft Word docs, JPEGs, and other file types associated with journals and registers.

3. Expanded email options

Sage 100 now offers OAuth to authenticate SMTP email requests. Sage 100 customers who use email providers like Gmail or Outlook, which require two-step authentication, can now use those email providers directly in the system.

Additional enhancements

Print all sales order recap reports at once – now, accountants can run all sales recap reports with just one click.
A new Purchases Clearing from History Report allows you to reconcile the purchases clearing account at any time.
The Purchase Orders module now displays line detail for receipt invoices in history.
The NEC-1099 non-employee compensation form is now available in Purchase Orders.

Two exciting new offerings now available to Sage 100 customers

1. Host your Sage 100 data on Microsoft Azure with Sage Partner Cloud

Sage Partner Cloud allows you to keep the Sage 100 product you know and love while hosting data in the same reliable cloud provider 95% of Fortune 500 companies know and trust.

2. Launch of Sage Data and Analytics

Get actionable data faster, improve data confidence, and reduce IT costs with the powerful, easy-to-use business intelligence toolkit for Sage 100. Sage Data and Analytics gives Sage 100 users a powerful and easy-to-use business intelligence toolkit complete with live dashboards, graphical cashflow analysis and more—right out of the box.

Want to learn more? Contact Yeo & Yeo Technology.

Information used in this article was provided by our partners at Sage.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made it clear that manufacturers need a modern, flexible ERP system. ERP may even be the key to post-COVID business success, enabling the flexibility and resilience that give your manufacturing firm a competitive edge. So if you’ve experienced any or all of these common problems with your current ERP, it may be time to upgrade to a new solution.

1. Your ERP doesn’t enable timely decision-making

Outdated ERP systems often don’t provide the visibility you need to make mission-critical decisions in real time. As we saw during the pandemic, not having insight at your fingertips can make it much harder to adapt quickly when a sudden disruption hits the supply chain. If you’re constantly looking at older figures rather than real-time data, or it takes you too long to develop an accurate, up-to-date view of your supply chain’s status, it may be time to upgrade to a more modern ERP solution.

2. Your ERP doesn’t integrate well with other technology

If your ERP doesn’t easily integrate with other business applications or let you capitalize on the tremendous potential that the industrial internet of things (IIoT) offers your company, it may be holding you back. When your ERP doesn’t play well with other software or newer technologies, your employees may have to compensate with time-consuming manual workarounds for standard business processes. This inflexibility is a sign that it’s time to upgrade to a more innovative ERP option.

3. Your ERP is too unwieldy to maintain

If you’ve been making do with a legacy ERP for many years, you might remember a time when it wasn’t so expensive to maintain. Eventually, however, the IT costs associated with supporting a legacy ERP solution begin to creep up on even the most diligent company. IT teams are juggling more responsibilities than ever. The time and expertise needed to maintain outdated ERP systems not only lowers your ERP’s ROI but charges your organization an opportunity cost, as well.

Know when to upgrade your ERP system

If your current ERP isn’t cutting it anymore, you’ve likely already noticed that it slows down decision-making, doesn’t integrate well with other technology, and is burdensome to maintain. As a result, you may find it unnecessarily challenging to adapt to sudden changes in the market.

Sage 100cloud is a modernized Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution designed to maximize business management. Sage 100cloud Manufacturing adds functionality to assist with estimating and quoting, job planning, scheduling, inventory optimization, and more for small and medium-sized manufacturers. With proper manufacturing software in place, organizations can cut costs while simultaneously streamlining operations. Want to learn more? Contact our professionals at Yeo & Yeo Technology.

Information used in this article was provided by our partners at Sage.

Schools face ransomware attacks, like the recent Kaseya attack, with poorer cyber defenses than many private companies and with more vulnerabilities that hackers could exploit. That’s especially true for schools that will still be operating at least partly remotely in the fall because every remote student’s laptop is an entry point for hackers to infect an entire school’s computer network.

According to the Center for Internet Security (CIS), there was a 19 percent increase in ransomware and other cyberattacks targeting K-12 schools between 2019 and 2020, and they’re projecting a 86 percent increase in 2021.

The cost of these attacks has already been severe.

A ransomware attack shut down Baltimore County schools for several days in November 2020, and other prominent attacks have hit schools in Miami, Toledo and Huntsville, Alabama.

There’s no reliable data for how often schools pay ransom demands, though there are some high-profile cases in which hackers punished schools for refusing to pay. For example, hackers posted 26,000 files from the Broward County, Florida, school district online after it refused to pay a ransom.

There’s also a bonus for hackers that target schools — stealing the personal information of students and teachers.

Student’s personal information is especially valuable for identity thieves and scammers because they’re less likely to notice that someone is using their identity to commit fraud if they don’t yet have bank accounts or credit cards that might be alerted.

Cybersecurity is far from easy, especially for school districts. Schools have so many connected devices with their own risks that it becomes nearly impossible to keep track of the threats they might pose.

Yeo & Yeo Technology is a leading managed security service provider in Michigan. Whether you have a one-person IT department or a security team, our experienced cybersecurity professionals can help you meet your IT security needs and budget. Contact us today.

Source: The Washington Post

The Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) is a $7.17 billion program funded by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to help schools provide the tools and services their communities need for remote learning during the COVID-19 emergency period.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted a Report and Order establishing the rules and procedures for the ECF program, which will be administered by the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC).

The ECF program will cover items including, but not limited to:

Laptop and tablet computers
Wi-Fi hotspots
Modems (including air cards)
Routers
Devices that combine a modem and router

The program application closes on Friday, August 13. All schools eligible for support under the FCC’s E-Rate program are eligible to request and receive support through the ECF program.

Apply for funds and find more information at https://www.emergencyconnectivityfund.org/.

Contact your Yeo & Yeo professional if you have questions or need assistance.

With one billion pieces of malware out there, your business will likely be affected at some point.

It’s scary stuff.

Worse still, some kinds of malware are very difficult to recover from. It’s rarely as simple as deleting an infected file. The most destructive malware can be the hardest to tackle.

You need to protect your business with more than just antivirus software.

Keeping your data safe and secure requires a combination of:

Specialist software
Staff training
And other safety measures, which will differ from business to business, depending on many factors

While it’s not realistic to protect your business from 100 percent of malware attacks (without completely crippling your staff’s ability to do their work freely), you can take the proper measures to minimize the risks and be instantly aware when you are under attack.

Is your business prepared for this? Contact Yeo & Yeo Technology to learn about our cybersecurity solutions.