5 Steps to Properly Prepare Your Business for a Windows 11 Upgrade

Microsoft’s big announcement of a 2021 Windows 11 release has many companies wondering what this means for them over the next several months.

When a major change in business technology infrastructure, like a new OS, is on the horizon, it can mean major disruptions and downtime if it’s not handled properly.

Users can end up being blindsided when their workstation is upgraded, and productivity can drop as they attempt to learn the new PC environment. Companies can also end up with broken software or processes if they haven’t considered workflow compatibility with the new operating system.

The worries about what a change might mean keep many companies from upgrading to a new OS version until well beyond the usable life of the outgoing OS.

For example, roughly six months before Windows 7 reached the end of life and end of support, 35% of PC users were still using the OS and hadn’t yet upgraded to Windows 10.

What can happen if you stay on an older operating system instead of upgrading?

• You risk falling victim to a cyber attack.

• You begin experiencing compatibility issues with newer software and hardware.

• You miss out on productivity improvements.

• You can get left behind your competition because you’re an OS behind.

• You invite more vulnerabilities that can enable ransomware, viruses, and other malware.

So, rather than wait until the last minute to upgrade when an OS is reaching the end of all support, it’s best to upgrade as soon as possible. Taking the proper steps now to prepare your business for a Windows 11 upgrade can make all the difference in how smoothly the transition goes. 

Prepare Now for a Windows 11 Upgrade

Evaluate Your Computers & Tablets for Compatibility 

While you won’t have to pay for Windows 11 if you’re already using Windows 10, you may have to upgrade some of your workstations, employee tablets, or laptops.

It’s best to switch all your devices at the same time, so you don’t have some staff still using Windows 10 while others have already upgraded to 11. 

Go through each of your devices and check them against the Windows 11 minimum system requirements to see if each can be upgraded. If not, it may be able to be upgraded if more memory or storage is added, or it may just make more sense to purchase a new PC. Especially if the current device is four or more years old.

You can easily check devices for compatibility with Windows 11 by downloading Microsoft’s PC Health Check application and running it. It will tell you whether the device is good to go or doesn’t meet the requirements.

Make a Replacement Plan for PCs That Can’t Upgrade

For those computers or tablets that can’t be upgraded to Windows11, make a replacement plan now so you can spread out your purchases over the months leading up to the release and your planned upgrade date.

Create an Upgrade Roadmap & Pre-Schedule with an IT Provider 

According to Microsoft, Windows 11 is expected to be rolled out to the public near the end of 2021 and early 2022. There have been some rumors that it might come as early as October of this year, but that hasn’t been confirmed by Microsoft. 

Decide how soon after the release you’d like to upgrade your office. It’s important to keep in mind that Windows 11 was created with productivity boosts in mind and has a lot of helpful features, such as:

• One-click video calling from Microsoft Teams (which is natively integrated)

• Snap layouts to help arrange several open windows for optimal efficiency

• Curated news and info feed

• Windows Voice Typing that automatically punctuates as it transcribes

• Cleaner Start menu that’s less busy and more streamlined

Once you decide when you’d like to upgrade, contact an IT pro, like BrainStomp to schedule a professional upgrade of all your devices. You’ll want to do this in advance of the rollout because once Windows 11 is available, schedules will be filling up fast.

Check Your Software & Peripherals for Compatibility

You’ll want to check any software you are using for compatibility with Windows 11, so you can make any needed upgrades before moving to the new operating system.

Most businesses use cloud tools these days, so there are fewer compatibility barriers when upgrading an OS. However, those that use custom offline software might need to have developers make updates to ensure it can run on Windows 11.

This is something you want to check well in advance so you can ensure a smooth transition that’s going to help and not hurt your business processes.

Train Your Users in Advance on the New OS

Users need to be trained on the new operating system before they begin using it. This will help reduce the risk of productivity loss that can happen right after an upgrade as users are getting used to the new environment.

Users can get a sneak preview and training before the OS officially rolls out because Microsoft is offering it now to users that sign up for its Windows Insider Program.  

Pre-Schedule User Training & Your Windows 11 Upgrade Today

BrainStomp can help your business through a smooth transition to Windows 11 so you and your users can enjoy all the productivity-boosting benefits of the new OS as soon as possible.

Schedule a free consultation today! Call 260-918-3548 or reach out online.

Windows 11 is Coming This Year! Features, Requirements & More

Microsoft just made an exciting announcement about a new operating system. Windows 11 is expected out later this year, and it has people buzzing about what to expect with the changes.

Because Microsoft chose to put out a new OS version, rather than just doing feature updates to Windows 10, it means there are some pretty significant upgrades that people can expect.

Windows 11 comes out as its predecessor is about four years away from retirement (end of life for Windows 10 is slated for October 2025), so it makes sense to have a new OS come out now. People and PC manufacturers typically need time to adapt and switch over.

The operating system your company uses is a foundational element of your technology infrastructure, so it’s important to know what to expect from the new OS so you can be properly prepared for an upgrade. 

Windows has approximately 73% of the global desktop operating system market share.

We’ll go through everything you need to know about the upcoming features, price, and timing of the Windows 11 release. 

Everything You Need to Know About Windows 11

When Can We Get Windows 11?

Windows 11 is being released during the holidays of 2021 and into early 2022, according to Microsoft. However, rumors in the PC world are that the public availability could be as early as October 2021. 

Some advertising for an October 2021 upgrade on laptops by Walmart as well as an October date on the taskbar in marketing screenshots for the OS are some of the things that have fueled the early-release rumor.

What Is Windows 11 Going to Cost?

If you already have Windows 10 and you have a system that has the minimum requirements for Windows 11, then the upgrade will be free. 

You will need an internet connection to download the new OS version.

Some of the common requirements include:

• 1GHz processor with 2 or more cores on a compatible 64-bit processor or SoC

• 4GB of RAM

• 64GB or larger storage space

• UEFI, Secure Boot capable firmware

• Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0

• Graphics card compatible with DirectX 12 or later

• High definition (720p) display that is great than 9”

Now, let’s get into the key features of the new operating system.

Microsoft Teams Is Integrated & Easier to Use

Microsoft Teams was first introduced as one of the apps included in a Microsoft 365 subscription. Since the pandemic and rise of online meetings and virtual teams, Microsoft created a free Teams version for anyone to use and has been adding tons of video meeting features.

All Windows 11 images are courtesy of Microsoft

Windows 11 natively integrates Teams and you’ll see the MS Teams icon on the desktop. Users can click the icon to connect with people easily via video, voice, or chat, without needing to open the full Teams application.

More Accessibility Features & Voice Typing

Windows 11 represents the “most accessible” Windows OS ever designed. It includes new color filters and more options for changing the text size and high-contrast themes.

Users will also have the ability to add custom sounds to more Windows events. The new Windows Voice Typing makes using the OS easier on small mobile screens and can assist those with limited keyboard mobility. This feature will even add punctuation automatically.

Sleeker Start Menu & Taskbar

Distraction-free and clean are two of the guiding forces behind the design of Windows 11. You’ll see this play out in the Start menu and taskbar.

The Start menu is much simpler, and the menu sidebar and boxes are gone. Users can pin apps to the top and search for whatever they need. 

Changes to the taskbar include removing the search bar and putting it inside the Start menu instead. The Windows icon to get to the Start menu has also been moved from the far left to the middle of the taskbar.

Personalize a News & Info Feed

Windows 11 incorporates a new information feed that is powered by widgets. (If you have an iPhone, you’re probably familiar with the concept of a widget feed.) You can add the widgets you like to your feed to personalize it and get helpful info at a glance.

This includes things like:

• Weather

• News headlines

• Stocks

• Calendar

• Photos

• ToDo list

• Bing search

• And more

Arrange Windows in a Snap

Arranging windows on a screen to see more than one at the same time is a common frustration for users. You have to resize them just so, and then move them again to scroll.

Snap layouts in Windows 11 are going to reduce your frustration when working in more than one window at a time. You have six different arrangements of between 2-4 windows to choose from. Your open windows will snap into place for an optimized view.

Need Help Rolling Out Windows 11 to Your Office?

BrainStomp can help your business through a smooth Windows 11 office upgrade that mitigates downtime and helps you benefit from the productivity improvements of the OS faster.

Schedule a free consultation today! Call 260-918-3548 or reach out online.

4 Ways That a Dual-Monitor Setup Can Improve Productivity & Save Time

There are many avenues when it comes to looking for ways to improve productivity. Some of them being more expensive than others.

For example, a complete transition to a new cloud business solution and automating processes can significantly reduce costs and boost efficiency. It can also include a healthy investment of time and money.

If you’re looking for a fast and low-cost way to get a big uptick in productivity, then one of the best solutions is to add a second monitor to employee computers.

The simple act of adding a second monitor to employee desktops and laptops can improve productivity by as much as 40%. Because everything you do on a computer requires a monitor, adding more screen real estate makes a difference in multiple tasks, allowing them to be done faster.

For example, in a Dell study of laptop users and several configurations of additional monitors, it was found that overall productivity improved by an average of 38% with one user getting as much as 50% higher productivity.

Tasks that were tested ran the spectrum of things people do every day. They included:

• Downloading a .zip file

• Extracting an Office document

• Copying and pasting rows of data from multiple columns in Excel

• Inserting charts into Word and PowerPoint

• Duplicating and editing PowerPoint slides

• Exporting Word and PowerPoint documents to PDF

• Combining files into a .zip file and attaching it to a new email

• And other similar tasks

Crunching the Numbers on Productivity

Let’s take a look at the potential payback period and ongoing ROI from purchasing an additional monitor.

A quality monitor can run in the neighborhood of $160 - $250. So, let’s say that you get a higher-end display for $250.

Now, let’s factor in productivity savings that are similar to the one in the Dell study at 38%.

You have an employee making $20 per hour and working 40 hours per week. If they get a 38% productivity boost, that would equate to $304 per week in additional productivity. So, you end up with a payback in less than a week and an ongoing return on the investment of over $1,200 per month in efficiency boost.

That’s a great return on a fairly low-cost purchase!

Benefits of Adding a Second Monitor to PCs

Less Window Switching

The act of switching between open application windows might not seem like it takes up much time, but all that activity can multiply fast. 68% of surveyed workers say they spend 30 minutes a day switching between their apps. That adds up to a time loss of about 10 hours per month.

Having more screen space allows users to have more application windows open on a computer at the same time. Instead of physically having to minimize and maximize each app window, they can simply glance from one to the other.

Easier Side-by-Side Work

Multiple tasks require you to have two windows open side by side. For example, you may need to pull research data you find online into an Excel document. Or a document with instructions may need to be compared with what a designer actually created.

Trying to have two windows up on the screen at the same time when you have a single display, can make it difficult to see more than a small area of each document. Then you struggle to try to reach the navigation controls to scroll where you need to in each window.

With a dual-display setup, you can easily have two documents open fully at the same time, one on each screen. This allows for a much easier comparison between the two that takes a lot less time because you can see more of the document without having to adjust the view.

Find Information Faster

Users that have been tested on the use of one display versus two displays note that finding information is easier because they have more area to work with. File explorer windows can be opened wider, for example. More screen area also allows a user to easily separate their browser windows and see more than one at the same time.

More Flexible Online Meetings

When participating in online meetings, the window can take up the entire desktop screen. This makes it difficult to switch over to email to see if an urgent message has come in from an expected attendee or to refer to notes if you’re sharing a screen.

When you use two displays, you can designate which of the two you’d like to share when sharing the screen and use the other one for notes. Having that additional display also allows you to keep programs open, like email, without the need to minimize the video conferencing window.

Get Help Setting Up New Displays & Optimizing for Efficiency

BrainStomp can help your business implement cost-efficient technology solutions that pack a powerful productivity punch. Ask us about adding dual-monitors and other efficiency improvements.

Schedule a free consultation today! Call 260-918-3548 or reach out online.

What's Going On With the Sudden Rise in Ransomware Attacks?

Does it seem like suddenly the terms “ransomware” and “cybersecurity” are everywhere? It’s not your imagination. The recent attacks on Colonial Pipeline and JBS, the world’s largest beef and pork producer, have been a cause for alarm.

Ransomware has been a particularly nasty form of malware that’s been around for a while. But of late it has started eclipsing other types of attacks like viruses or spyware due to the alarming rise in the volume and cost of the attacks. 

Just 12 months ago, the average cost to remediate a ransomware attack was an already crippling $761,106, but now it’s more than doubled to $1.85 million per attack.

The costs included in that figure are:

• Business downtime

• Lost orders 

• Operational costs

• Emergency remediation costs

• And more

The recent attack on Colonial Pipeline shows just how devastating and urgent a ransomware attack can be. When the company was hit on May 7th with ransomware, it had to shut down pipeline operations. This is a pipeline that supplies 45% of the East Coast’s gas, diesel fuel, and other petroleum-based products.

People panicked and began hoarding gasoline causing major shortages throughout several states. The national price for a gallon of gas also rose higher than it’s been since 2014, to over $3.00 per gallon due to the ripple effects of the attack.

Then, while everyone was still reeling from that attack, global meat producer JBS was also hit with ransomware, leading people to worry about what that will mean to the beef and pork supply. Several factories had to be shut down for nearly a week.

So, what’s going on? 

We’ll go through some of the main causes for the rise of ransomware and provide guidance on how to avoid becoming another ransomware headline through proper cybersecurity best practices.

Why Has Ransomware Become So Big?

Ransomware Often Results in a Full Shutdown 

Ransomware is a form of malware that encrypts files and then rapidly seeks out other devices on a network. It infects all the files it finds on that device and continues. 

It’s not unusual to have several devices and unprotected cloud storage accounts all infected in a very short time due to the way that ransomware rapidly spreads. 

Once encrypted, users can no longer access the files. This causes companies to need to completely shut down in most cases because they rely on technology for their operations.

What happens next is that the attacker’s note appears on the screen demanding a dollar amount as a ransom. The promise being that if the ransom is paid, the hacker will provide the encryption key to unlock the files so the organization can resume operations.

Because of the immediate shutdown of operations, ransomware is a particularly urgent form of malware that tends to get a quick response, something that hackers see as a bonus.

More Than Half of Ransomware Victims Pay the Ransom

If you were selling various consumer products and one of them really started to take off. You’d focus more of your time and effort on that product that was bringing in the most revenue. Your competitors would probably take notice and begin producing their own version of that product to sell as well since it was so popular.

That’s similar to what’s happened with ransomware and why attacks have been exploding. It’s become quite lucrative for attackers as a money-maker, so they focus more of their attention on ransomware attacks.

Other hackers and cybercriminals, including large state-sponsored groups, are seeing that ransomware brings in the money and are perpetrating attacks as well.

When ransomware victims pay the ransomware (which 56% of them do), it further confirms to criminals that this is a good business model for them.

Criminal Organizations Are Offering Ransomware as a Service

Most people are familiar with Software as a Service (SaaS), which are cloud tools they subscribe to and use every day. Well, due to the lucrative nature of ransomware, criminal organizations have been looking for other ways to make money from it.

One of these is selling ransomware as a service, which democratizes these types of attacks. It makes it easy for anyone with the money to invest in the service to roll the dice on collecting a ransom. With more players in the game, no size company is safe. There will be attackers that specialize in large enterprises, while others see small businesses as low-hanging fruit.

Best Practices to Avoid Becoming a Ransomware Victim

Best practices for reducing your risk of a devastating ransomware attack follow the same standard for overall cybersecurity. One critical addition is the need to have a fast recovery process for your backup strategy to ensure you can mitigate downtime costs.

You should have in place the following safeguards:

• Firewall

• Antivirus/anti-malware

• Multi-factor authentication on all logins

• DNS filtering

• Email phishing filtering

• Employee security awareness training

• Backup and recovery solution (with fast recovery)

• Incident response plan that is practiced regularly

• Patch and update management

• Ongoing network monitoring

Get Managed Security to Cover All Your Bases!

Don’t risk falling victim to a costly ransomware attack. BrainStomp has managed IT services that cover all your bases when it comes to IT security best practices.

Schedule a free consultation today! Call 260-918-3548 or reach out online.

Learn the Basics of Excel Data Types & Save Tons of Time on Reporting

One of the common business activities that staff does daily is search for information. They may need to find details for a report, look for information related to planning a new product or service, or require data that are used for billing purposes.

According to a report by McKinsey, employees spend an average of 1.8 hours each day gathering information from various sources. That equates to 9.3 hours per week (over a full day every workweek).

What if there was a way that you could simply go into your Excel spreadsheet and pull up the information you needed, without needing to search for a thing?

That type of business IT solution could save you a lot of time and money, and completely streamline your reporting and process for multiple activities.

If you’re a Microsoft 365 subscriber, then you have this capability through Excel data types.

What’s an Excel Data Type?

For any data that you’re working with, you typically have a type. For example, if you’re editing a list of your employees, then their titles would be a “job roles” data type.

If you’re creating a menu for a school or restaurant, then the listing of ingredients would be a “foods” data type.

Data types in Excel classify your data and then connect that classification to a database of information. Once you tell Excel what data type you’re working with, it will serve up a list of data that you can choose from.

For example, if you happen to be looking up universities in the U.S., you could simply classify them as the “university” data type and then populate university-specific data into your Excel sheet. 

We didn’t look up anything online, Excel filled in all the information for us in a click! 

How Do You Use Data Types in Excel?

You begin with your list of information. Say that you are creating a menu and want to see nutritional information for each serving. You don’t have to touch the Google search bar; you can simply follow these steps.

·      Highlight your list of data.

·      Click Data in the top Excel menu.

·      In the Data Types window, choose the “Foods” data type.

·      You’ll see a small icon appear to the right of your data.

·      Highlight all your data again, and you’ll see a small database icon appear at the top left.

·      Click that to get the list of available data.

·      Click the data you like, and it will populate into the next open column to the right.

·      Do this as many times as you like to fill more columns.

Troubleshooting Data With a Question Mark

If you have text in a cell that Excel doesn’t recognize in relation to a data type, or there is more than one option for that data, you’ll get a question mark icon (instead of the data type icon). A panel will also open up on the left with more details.

Either retype the name or choose from the options given. In some cases, you might be trying to use a term that’s not associated normally with that type of information. 

If more than one entry exists, Excel will ask you to choose the right one.

What Can Data Types Be Used For?

The reason we’re bringing up data types is that recently, Microsoft just added a bunch of them to the platform. Initially, there were just a couple, limiting the value of the feature.

But now there are over 20 different types that can be used for a wide range of business needs. 

Examples include: 

·      Medical Industry: There are data types for anatomy and medical-related terms, providing instant access to information on diseases, medical tests, ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes, and more.

·      Construction & Engineering: Reporting related to terrains and geographical information can be done in much less time by accessing data types such as geography, locations, and terrain.

·      Health, Exercise: Anyone in health-related fields can find details on calories burned per activity with the activities data type. There is even a data type for yoga.

·      Restaurants, Nutritional Experts: The foods data type is extremely helpful for anyone that needs to look up nutritional information for foods or recipes. Once the data is in Excel, it’s simple to create a formula based upon the percentage of the standard serving added to a specific recipe. 

·      Music, Art, Film: People that work in the arts or write about them, will find a plethora of information about movies, music, books, and more using data types for movies, music, and the automatic type that includes media.

·      Financial Industry: One of the original data types was stocks. This one along with the data type called currencies is particularly useful for those in the financial industry. 

You can see a full list of Excel data types here. Check them out and save tons of time searching for information. 

Are You Missing Productivity Boosters in Your Office Tools?

BrainStomp can help your business uncover productivity-boosting tools inside the software you’re already using. Don’t miss out, get expert guidance!

Schedule a free consultation today! Call 260-918-3548 or reach out online.

Firmware Attacks Have Been More Than Doubling Each Year! Here's What You Should Do to Stay Secure

A strong cybersecurity strategy includes a balance of different layers that protect your network, devices, cloud tools, and data. The balance of safeguards needs to be reviewed regularly to ensure that all areas of your IT infrastructure are properly protected.

The reason the IT security balance needs to be checked and redistributed regularly is that hackers are checking it all the time. They’re constantly looking for vulnerable areas that allow them a way into a company’s network and data.

A recent report by Microsoft called the March 2021 Security Signals found that for many companies, that balance is off, leaving the firmware that runs their devices unprotected.

The report found that even though attacks on firmware have increased five-fold in the past four years, organizations are only allocating a little over a quarter (29%) of their IT security budget to firmware protection. 

What Happens If a Hacker Gains Access to Firmware?

Firmware is software with a specific purpose, which is to tell the hardware how to operate. The firmware will tell your computer or server how to load the operating system at boot. It also is used to store user credentials and privilege level data.

Just about any electronics that you can think of needs firmware to operate. Firmware is used in: 

·      Computers

·      Servers

·      Security cameras

·      Printers

·      Wi-Fi routers

·      IoT devices

·      Networking equipment

·      And much more

You can think of firmware as the “operating handbook” of your device. So, you can imagine how damaging an attack at the firmware layer can be. A hacker can tell your hardware to do whatever they like.

Some of the common things that hackers do when they breach firmware include: 

·      Plant backdoors in a system that allow them to steal sensitive data

·      Give themselves a user credential with high-level privileges

·      Plant malware, like ransomware or spyware

·      Control how a system boots

·      Control how the operating system applies patches

·      Control access and visibility into the operating system

Things You Can Do for Better Firmware Security

The challenge with firmware security is that it’s not entirely in your hands. Much of the problem with firmware attacks is shared by the device manufacturers.

They don’t always build adequate visibility into the firmware layer, which lives outside the operating system. This causes problems, such as the inability for security applications (antivirus, anti-malware, etc.) to see any threats planted in the firmware layer.

However, this is changing because of the ongoing attacks on firmware. That means that companies often need to be proactive when it comes to choosing the right hardware or seeking the help of an IT professional to ensure their devices are properly protected.

Here are some of the steps you can take to ensure you’re not missing the boat when it comes to securing your firmware.

Keep Firmware Updated Regularly

Can you remember the last time you did a firmware update on your computer or router? Most users can’t. It’s because firmware doesn’t have the same “in your face” type of alerts for updates as do operating systems or applications.

Often, a device will simply have a small indicator somewhere on an icon that users can completely miss. If they do see it, they have to click in and go through a more manual process than they’re probably used to.

When it comes to something like a router or other IoT device, a company may never know about a critical security update, unless someone specifically logs in to the router settings (something hardly anyone does!).

So, firmware is left without its critical updates in many cases, leaving an open door for hackers.

What you need to do is make your firmware updates part of your entire update schedule for software and OS updates. All devices should be checked regularly for firmware updates. This is most easily done through a managed IT support plan. This ensures all updates are done on a schedule and professionally installed.

Keep Users Trained on Security Awareness

Regularly training users on IT security awareness is a preventative measure for all types of breaches, OS, firmware, network, and others. 

Hackers tend to use the same attack mode for all types of attacks, which often involves the use of phishing emails directed at your users.

By “regularly” training users, we mean more than once a year. Cybersecurity should be an ongoing conversation that keeps your employees aware and armed with the knowledge they need to stay secure.

Look for Firmware-Protected Devices

As we mentioned, device manufacturers are realizing the need to better protect firmware by building in zero-trust architectures at the firmware layer.

When you purchase new hardware (computers, servers, etc.) look for details on firmware protection that show the manufacturer is developing products with this in mind. 

Some examples include: 

·      Microsoft Secured-core PCs

·      HP Elite PCs

·      Intel-based Macs

Get a Firmware Security Assessment to Prevent a Breach

BrainStomp can help your business ensure you’re properly protected from a firmware attack. We’ll assess your current systems and provide solutions for any vulnerabilities. 

Schedule a free consultation today! Call 260-918-3548 or reach out online.

The Importance of Saving Your Data on a Network Drive

One of the challenges that companies face in their day-to-day operations is how to handle their files. Without a centralized strategy, they can end up with files being spread out over multiple computers and easily lost. 

While cloud storage is helpful, many users still want to have direct access to their data without having to depend on a cloud service provider, which can have an outage at any time. 

For example, in December of 2020 Google’s cloud services were down for approximately an hour, which can seem like an eternity in “business time.” This impacted multiple services like Gmail and Google Drive, the company’s cloud storage system.

Any modern office technology needs to be resilient in the face of outages, which means having access to files locally, while also backing those up to the cloud. But having employees all storing files on their hard drives causes multiple problems. Including:

·      Files are more susceptible to being lost due to a hard drive crash

·      All devices may not be backing up regularly

·      File sharing becomes difficult, especially with large files

·      Your data is at higher risk of a cybersecurity incident 

·      Difficulty finding files or the right version of a file

Network drives (also known as network-attached storage) are one of the best ways to get a handle on your company data and keep it easily accessible when you need it. 

What is a Network Drive?

A network drive is simply a local hard drive designed for file storage and sharing that can be accessed locally via an ethernet cable or wirelessly. 

Users with the right credentials can log into the network drive, which acts as a shared data storage for your entire organization. 

Why Should Your Company Store Data on a Network Drive?

All Data is Captured in One Place

Using centralized local file storage for your team gives everyone a single place to store and access all company files. This ensures that all company data is accounted for and you don’t have important files that only one person can access.

Employees spend an average of 1.8 hours per day (9.3 hours per week) searching for and gathering information. Using a comprehensive system and a network drive, you can reduce the time spent searching for information and eliminate the need to email data back and forth. 

You Control Your Data

Because you own your network drive and have it physically on-premises, you aren’t reliant on a cloud provider for access to your files. You can control access to your data and decide how it’s stored.

You can even set up your own archiving system, so files aren’t deleted without your knowledge. Many cloud storage systems will have confusing data retention policies that can mean you lose data unexpectedly. 

Better Security

When you use network storage, you don’t have to wonder how secure your employees’ devices are, which may contain vital business information. You’re also not at the mercy of a cloud provider’s security system.

If you want to use a Zero Trust security setup, you can. You can also deploy any type of access security you like, including multi-factor authentication and a single sign-on solution (SSO).

You have control of how strong your network firewall is and can even choose when you want to take your storage offline for security. For example, during holidays when no one will need access to your data.

Remote Access to Your Files

Network drive storage can be accessed over an internet connection as well as locally, so your employees can get to files whether they are working from home, on the road, or at the office. 

You gain the flexibility of cloud storage without giving up control over your data.

Back-Up All Your Devices Fast

Cloud data backup can take a while and take up a lot of your Wi-Fi bandwidth if you have multiple employee devices. When you have devices connected via ethernet to your network storage device, backups happen faster. 

Ethernet can be as much as 10x faster than Wi-Fi, giving you a more efficient way to back up all your onsite employee devices.

Everyone is Working With the Same Files

When employees are saving work to their hard drives, you can easily end up with different file versions on different computers.

For example, a salesperson may have an old copy of a company price list on his hard drive, and not realize there’s a newer one. It’s sent out by mistake to a big customer, putting you in an awkward situation.  

When all files are centrally located, employees can always have access to the newest version. You avoid problems with old files floating around and potentially being sent to customers or others.

Get Expert Help Setting Up Your Network Drive

BrainStomp can help your business with an efficient network drive setup to stop file confusion, save you time, and keep all your data more secure.

Schedule a free consultation today! Call 260-918-3548 or reach out online.

7 Rules of Good Email Etiquette for Business Professionals

Despite the rise of team messaging software like Slack and MS Teams, email is still by far the most popular method of communication for businesses. 

86% of business professionals choose email as their preferred way to communicate at work. People also spend a good deal of their workday reading and responding to email.

The average office worker receives about 121 emails per day and sends about 40 of them. 

This vital piece of the business technology eco-system isn’t just a form of getting messages from one computer to another, it can tell you a lot about the person sending or replying to the message.

Some common things that go through people’s minds when reading email are:

·      No signature? Their company may be lacking a little organization. 

·      Too many exclamation points? This person seems highly emotional. 

·      Poor grammar/spelling? I might want to think twice before trusting this person with anything important.

Because email is something that just about any level of employee needs to use, it’s important to have a good presence in your email messages. Poor email etiquette can make you look unprofessional to colleagues, supervisors, and customers. It can also negatively impact your chance of a promotion. 

Here are some of the top email etiquette rules to follow to enhance how others perceive you.

Do a Spelling & Grammar Check

No matter how eloquently you write an email, if it has four spelling errors and improper use of “their/they’re” then that’s what people are going to see. You’ll come off looking either unprofessional, incompetent, or both. 

Most email programs will have a spell check built-in that will highlight misspelled words. However, you might also drop a word by accident, which can often happen when you’re typing in a rush, and that can also look just as bad. 

It’s a good idea to use both a spelling and grammar check tool, such as Grammarly, which has a plugin that can be used for Outlook and other programs. 

Be Careful of Emoji Use

The use of emojis on social media and in text messages is common. Using them in emails can get you into trouble by making you look unprofessional.

If you are sending an internal message congratulating everyone on a job well done, then a happy face emoji or even one blowing a party horn would most likely be okay.

But ending your email to a customer with “Have a great weekend” and a beer glass emoji is a big etiquette mistake.

It’s best to never use emojis in external emails and only sparingly for internal communications. 

Don’t Sneakily BCC People

When you blind carbon copy (BCC) someone on a business email, you’re sending the message to a third party behind the recipient’s back. This is generally frowned upon except in a few rare circumstances. 

Before you use the BCC block, ask yourself why it’s necessary to BCC instead of CC. In most cases, it’s best to avoid the BCC altogether so you don’t end up with a big problem later when someone finds about a BCC on one of their messages.

Use a Signature

When you don’t use a business signature, your email comes off as less professional. Because people receive so many emails throughout the day, the recipient may not immediately recognize you, and a signature helps them put an email address with a company.

Signatures also allow you to add additional helpful information, such as your phone number and title. 

Stop & Check Who’s Receiving a Reply Before Hitting “Send”

Volumes could be written about the people that had a major embarrassment or got into hot water because they hit “reply all” when they meant to only respond to the sender. 

A good habit to get into when you send an email is to always take a moment to check over who is receiving the message before you hit the “send” button. This helps you avoid reply-all mistakes and times when you mean to reply all but ended up hitting reply instead. 

Use a Professional Greeting & Closing

Starting your email with “Yo, Team” isn’t going to score you points for professionalism. Likewise, beginning with barking a virtual order instead of saying “Hi, Betty” first, can make you seem insensitive.

Use a professional greeting at the beginning of your emails (Hi, Dear, Hello, etc.) and also at closing. 

The closing can be a little tricky, as people aren’t always sure how to end and email before their signature. A good tip is to pick something you use 90% of the time and stick with that (Regards, Best Regards, Thanks, Sincerely, etc.).

Don’t Get Fancy With Fonts

Going crazy with the font style you use can be just as bad as using too many emojis. If you’re using purple Comic Sans font, you immediately are perceived as less professional than someone using Helvetica, Times, or another classic font in black.

You want your message to be readable. Your email’s message should also be the thing someone remembers, not the fancy font you used.

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BrainStomp can help your business with effective email solutions for productivity, security, and much more! 

Schedule a free consultation today! Call 260-918-3548 or reach out online.

How to Use the Snipping Tool to Email Screenshots

One of the common tasks that people do throughout the week is to take and send screenshots. They may need to point out a problem on a website or within a cloud platform, or they may need a quick way to get input on a graphic without sending a huge file.

Within Windows 10 there is a pretty handy business solution for screenshots called the Snipping Tool (aka: Snip & Sketch Tool). 

How this differs from other screenshots tools you may have, like a screenshot button on a keyboard or a snipping tool in Chrome, is that it can be used from within Outlook in addition to anywhere you may be on your computer. 

You also have multiple options in how you take a screenshot, which allows you to get the exact part of a screen you need into your image.

Using The Snipping Tool in Outlook 

First, we’ll go through how to use the Snipping Tool from within Outlook to quickly email a screenshot. Then, we’ll get into the more robust Snip & Sketch Tool. 

Open your message, make sure your cursor is clicked into the message body, and then choose the Insert menu.

Click on the Screenshot icon.

You’ll see options to screenshot any open windows you have. You can also choose Screen Clipping at the bottom.  

If you click one of your Available Windows, a screenshot of that entire window will be taken and automatically appear in your email message. Note: You may want to resize the image.

Using the screen clipping option will pull up the first window that you have open and allow you to drag your cursor to take a screenshot of just a portion of that window, rather than the entire thing. 

Once you let go of your cursor, that part of the screenshot will automatically appear inserted into your email message.

This is a quick an easy way to take and email screenshots from within Outlook. 

Using the Snipping Tool Outside Outlook

If you’re not in Outlook and want to use the Snip & Sketch tool to take a screenshot, the easiest way to access it is by keyboard command:

Press: Windows Key + Shift + S

You have four different options for taking your screenshot:

·      Rectangle

·      Freeform

·      Full Window

·      Full Screen 

Once you take the screenshot, you’ll see a thumbnail show up in the lower right corner of your screen. 

Click the image to open the full Snip & Sketch Tool. 

From here you can mark up the screenshot with a set of basic tools (that’s how we got that red arrow in the photo above). You can also crop the screenshot. 

This is really helpful if you’re trying to drag across a particular region with a black outline and can’t seen to get it just right. Take more of the outline than you may want in the screenshot and use the Snip & Sketch Tool to crop it. (Much easier!)

What Can You Do Inside the Snip & Sketch Tool?

Beyond the editing features we already mentioned, you can do a lot more once you have your screenshot open inside the Snip & Sketch Tool.

Here is a rundown of the menu options.

Click New to chose between taking a screenshot:

·      Now

·      In 3 seconds

·      In 10 seconds

The editing group of icons across the top allow you to use: 

·      Touch writing

·      Ballpoint pen

·      Pencil

·      Highlighter

·      Eraser

·      Ruler

·      Crop

The next group of icons, on the right, allow you to zoom, save, copy, and send your screenshot.

The send option allows you to send by email, through OneNote, in Microsoft’s Feedback Hub, or through another app you install.

The “three dots” menu gives you the following options: 

·      Open file

·      Open file with

·      Print

·      Send feedback

·      Settings

·      Tips & Tricks

Snipping Tool Settings

You get a few more settings you can use to customize your screenshot tool. This includes:

·      Auto copy your screenshots to clipboard

·      Ask to save snips before closing

·      Open snips in more than one window

·      Automatically put an outline on all your screenshots

How to Get Saved Screenshots into Outlook

If you already have a screenshot saved on your computer that you want to use in an email, you have two ways you can do this: 

·      Attach as an email attachment: Do this by either using the Attach File option on Outlook’s Home menu or drag and drop your image from a folder over your email message.

·      Insert the screenshot in the email: Use this when you want the screenshot to be seen in the email message without needing to open the attachment. The easiest way to do this is to use the very top Search box and type “insert” and then chose the Insert Picture option.

Need Help With Email Tips, Security, and More?

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 Schedule a free consultation today! Call 260-918-3548 or reach out online.

Email Etiquette: When & Why to Use BCC

Even with the advent of SMS and team messaging, email is still the #1 preferred method both internally and externally for organizations. Seven in 10 people would rather communicate with a company by email than any other method. So, it’s still one of your most important business solutions. 

But email, especially if it’s internal, can have its pitfalls if someone steps out of line and breaks an unwritten email etiquette rule.

One of the rules that can be particularly abused is the BCC (blind carbon copy). For example, if it’s found out that a colleague is BCC-ing the boss on emails without the recipient’s knowledge it can cause major office tension.

On the other hand, the BCC can also be incredibly helpful when sending a message to multiple recipients, who don’t necessarily need to be aware of each other’s email addresses.

The Difference Between CC and BCC

When you use CC, you’re including someone that is part of the conversation on an email, but not specifically addressing the email to them. Use of the CC is common in business. It can also often be overdone with people getting copied on things they don’t really need or want.

Sometimes the CC is used as coverage to make sure someone is kept in the loop on a decision. 

When you use the BCC, you’re including someone on an email but not letting the recipient(s) or anyone CC’d on the email know that you’ve actually copied another person.

If BCC sounds a little sneaky, it’s because it is. But it also does have some legitimate reasons to use it.

Using BCC incorrectly can have some big consequences if you’re trying to have good office relationships with colleagues. It can also cause some embarrassment in your client or vendor communications if it’s not used when it should be.

When is BCC Okay to Use? 

There are generally two main scenarios when email etiquette says that it’s perfectly okay and proper to use a BCC.

Sending a Mass Email to Multiple Recipients 

There are times when you are sending the same email to multiple recipients, but they don’t necessarily need to see who each other are, and you may not want them to.

For example, say you have a new vendor policy that you need to send out to 25 vendors. Rather then spending the time emailing them all one by one, you can simply email the message to yourself and BCC all your vendors. 

They will each receive a copy but won’t have the addresses of those who may be competing with them for your business.

Another example of this is if you are sending out a marketing pitch to media organizations. In this case it’s okay to use the BCC since none of them would be related and wouldn’t necessarily need to see that each other were copied.

You are BCC-ing Yourself

Sometimes it may come up that you want to send a copy of an email to another one of your email addresses. For example, you may be using your personal email to send a message from your mobile phone, but still need to have a copy in your business email for follow ups. Or vice versa.

In this case, it’s also okay to use BCC because the recipient obviously already knows you are going to have a copy of the message. You might choose to use BCC instead of CC just to reduce any confusion if they don’t recognize your other email address as being yours.

When is BCC NOT Okay to Use?

Really, in just about all other scenarios, BCC can be a big problem and considered somewhat of a “jerk move” in office vernacular. 

When you use BCC, you’re basically hiding the fact that another person is getting a copy of the email, and other than the two noted above, there aren’t many situations where that is considered okay.

Here are some of the ways you do not want to use (abuse) the BCC.

To Copy the Boss to Get a Coworker in Trouble

You may be having a hard time with a coworker, but blind copying the boss on an email exchange with them isn’t going to make things any better. In fact, your boss might think less of you for the breach in email etiquette.

To Send an Office Pal an Email Exchange to Ridicule a Colleague

If you are blind copying your office “best bud” on an email exchange with a colleague to ridicule or otherwise have a laugh or gossip at the other person’s expense, this is big breach of etiquette. It’s also just really mean, and could actually cost a person their job if it’s found out.

To Copy a Friend on a Positive Email

This scenario might seem okay, but it can backfire on you. 

For example, say you are BCC-ing your friend on a recommendation email you’re making to your company’s HR department about that friend being a great candidate. What happens if your friend does a “reply-all’ to say, “Thanks!” Suddenly your HR department knows you hid the fact you were copying another person and things could get awkward.

In this case it would be better to simply forward your email after you sent it if you wanted to show you friend what you said about them.

Need Smart, Productive Email Solutions?

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