How to Safely Prepare Hard Drives, Computers & Other Devices for Recycling

Computers and electronic devices can’t just be recycled like your old cans or cardboard boxes. When computers are recycled after a person has upgraded to a new system, they often put back into use by someone else. 

Methods of recycling include donating electronic devices to a good cause, trading them in to a retailer for some type of credit, or taking them to a recycling center, where they may get scrapped or may be sold to a new user. 

The danger to you if you don’t properly clean your electronics before disposing of them is that your confidential information could end up being used for identity theft, credit card fraud, or something else.  

If a business that’s upgrading to modern office technology doesn’t properly wipe its technology, it could result in a major data breach and violation of data privacy guidelines.

80% of company desktop computers and laptops contain sensitive information.

Any type of electronic hardware is going to have a digital footprint. In order to securely get rid of electronics, that footprint needs to be completely removed. 

Deleting Your Files Is Not Enough 

Just deleting the files on a USB drive, removable hard drive, or computer is not enough to ensure your device is properly secure. 

There are file recovery tools designed to retrieve files that a user accidentally deleted that could be used to restore those files you thought were gone.

Here are some tips for securely wiping your digital devices before they’re recycled or donated to ensure your data is completely removed.

Mobile Devices – Sign Out & Reset

Smartphones and tablets will typically have a factory reset that you can do that wipes all the data off the device.

It’s important to sign out of any cloud storage accounts before doing a reset (like iCloud), otherwise, you may find that your photos are gone from the cloud because you deleted them from your phone during the reset.

This hard reset back to original factory settings is generally how cell providers wipe your phone if you trade it into them when upgrading.

You also want to be sure that you’ve removed the SIM card in the device before recycling it.

Printers, Scanners, Faxes – Remove Memory Cards & Reset

Printers, scanners, and faxes will also typically include the hard reset back to factory conditions. You’ll also want to make sure you’ve removed any memory cards that the device may be using.

It’s also a good idea to check the device after the reset to make sure it’s not retaining any information, like the Wi-Fi password or your company name/number.

Steps for Properly Wiping Computers 

The steps are a little more detailed when it comes to wiping your desktop or laptop computer. There are multiple areas on a hard drive where data can reside and be extracted.

Just think of all that autofill information that makes your life convenient, like passwords or credit card details. It could make a hacker’s life pretty convenient as well if you hadn’t properly wiped your device before they got their hands on it. 

Here are steps you can take to make sure your computer is ready for recycling without any of your data on it. 

Back Up Your Data First

You don’t want to wipe your device and then realize your data wasn’t properly backed up. Make sure to back up data to a trusted service prior to cleaning your device.

You may also want to have your data migrated by BrainStomp to your new device before cleaning your old one. We’ll ensure everything is transferred over safely and completely.

Sign Out of All Your Accounts

To be completely secure that syncing accounts won’t cause data loss and that a stranger can’t get into your Facebook account, sign out of all accounts that you’re signed into on your computer. 

This can include: 

·      Social media accounts

·      File storage accounts (like Dropbox)

·      Cloud accounts (like Microsoft 365) 

·      Web accounts (like Amazon.com)

Use a System App or 3rd Party App to Wipe & Reset Your Device

You have a few options for resetting your device and removing all the data, including your files, and browser and system footprints.

In Windows 10:

·      Go to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery > Reset this PC

·      Chose “Remove everything”

·      Click the “Change settings” options on the Additional settings window

·      Toggle on the “Data erasure” setting

·      Click the Confirm button and follow the prompts to erase your device

For those on a Mac, the instructions are a little more detailed for resetting your computer. You can find them on Apple’s site here.  

You can also choose to use a 3rd party tool that wipes your device. Some popular ones include DBAN and Eraser.

Have a Professional Wipe Your Device

If you’re not computer savvy, then you may want to have your device professionally wiped by an IT pro. We can confirm that all data is completely removed and can’t be recovered using data recovery tools.

Need Help Migrating to a New Computer?

Upgrading to a new computer can be frustrating if you’re trying to handle all the data transfer and disk wiping yourself. Make the process much simpler by coming to BrainStomp. We’ll ensure that your new device is set up properly and your old one is safe to recycle. 

Contact us today to schedule a technology consultation! Call 260-918-3548 or reach out online.

Don’t Just Throw Electronics in the Trash! (Proper Disposal Tips)

Do you remember back when you had your first computer or smartphone? You most likely held onto it for several years because it was such a big investment. 

When technology first came on the scene, devices seemed to last a little longer. Now days, computers are usually replaced every three to five years and some people replace phones and other mobile devices every year or two. 

Companies need to upgrade hardware to keep up with the demands of newer software, cloud systems, and other technology advancements that come much faster than they did in those early days. 

But what this march of innovation leaves in its wake is a lot of electronic trash that people aren’t sure how to dispose of.  

There is approximately 50 million tons of electronic waste tossed out globally each year, but only 20% of it is disposed of properly. 

What can happen if you just throw your old electronics out in the trash? 

Fines for Illegal Disposal

You could possibly face a fine if you don’t dispose of your electronics properly. There are 25 states that have enacted electronic recycling legislation, and some of them make it illegal to improperly dispose of electronics. For example, California bans the disposal of old TVs, batteries, and computers in landfills.

The problem with not handling the disposal of electronics responsibly is that they can often contain hazardous materials like: 

·      Lead

·      Nickel

·      Mercury

Security Risk

With the pace of hardware and electronics replacement, most companies can’t afford to keep storing outdated equipment. Keeping that equipment onsite can also pose a security risk.

If someone accidentally turns on an older computer running an outdated operating system that never had a Windows upgrade to the current version, a hacker could easily exploit an unpatched vulnerability to breach your entire network.  

How to Dispose of Electronics the RIGHT Way

You have a few different options when it comes to disposing of your old computers, routers, printers, and mobile devices. By making sure to follow best practices for electronics disposal, not only are you ensuring you’re not violating any local laws, you’re also being a more sustainable business. 

Take Electronics to a Recycling Center or Retailer

You’ll find two types of electronics recycling outlets that you can use for responsible disposal of old computers and other devices. These are typically either local recycling centers in your city or county and major electronics retailers.

Companies recycling electronics remove usable materials for reuse and then responsibly dispose of any parts that can’t be recycled. 

The US EPA has a large list of retailers, like Best Buy, that will take your electronics off your hands. Many of these recyclers won’t charge you for disposing of your electronics. 

Donate Your Electronics 

If your computer or other electronics still have a few years of usable life in them, there are a number of charities that will be happy to have them as a donation and put them to good use.

Donating your electronics may even give you a tax deduction that you can claim when you file taxes.

Locally, you may want to check non-profits in your area, schools, churches, or after-school programs that could use computer donations.

Here are some of the nationwide programs designed to facilitate electronics donations:

·      Goodwill & Dell Reconnect Program

·      World Computer Exchange

·      American Cell Phone Drive

·      Human-I-T

Use an Electronics Buy-Back Program

If your electronics qualify, you could end up getting some money for an older computer or mobile device while responsibly disposing of it at the same time. Several electronics retailers offer buy-back & trade-in programs for qualifying devices.

If your devices qualify, you can add to your business bottom line and use the money towards an upgrade of your hardware. 

Here are a few of the retailer trade-in/buy-back programs to check out: 

·      Best Buy

·      Apple

·      Amazon

·      Sprint

·      Target

Don’t Forget to Wipe Your Device

Make sure that before you sell, donate, or recycle your old electronics that you’ve wiped them properly.

This includes removing all files on the hard drive, clearing browser history and saved passwords, and removing any other data may be saved in system or software folders.

Some devices will have the ability to reset back to “factory conditions.” If you’re unsure that you’ve removed everything, then it’s a good idea to have an IT pro clean your device so you can ensure there’s no information on it that could be seen by someone else that may use the computer after it’s recycled. 

Get Help with Hardware Upgrades & Computer Disposal Preparation

BrainStomp can help your company with strategic technology upgrades and help you ensure older electronics are cleared of all data and disposed of properly.

Contact us today to schedule a technology consultation! Call 260-918-3548 or reach out online.

Pro Shortcuts That Make Excel Much Less Frustrating

Excel is one of those applications that’s fairly indispensable to most offices. It’s used for budgeting, email lists, and all other types of things like charts and data analysis. But it can also be frustrating and cumbersome to use if you don’t know some shortcuts.

Something such as separating a first name and last name that were entered into the same field on a list of 1,000+ records can take over an hour to do manually. But it you’ve got some Excel know how, it can take just a minute or two. 

Part of improving your business productivity and IT processes is making sure you and your team know how to navigate the software you use every day in the most efficient way.

Our BrainStomp team is going to help you do that with some time-saving pro shortcuts for Excel below. Enjoy!

Excel Tips That Will Make Your Life Much Easier

We’re going to start off with one of the biggest time-saving tips, which is automatically separating data from one cell into several, then move on to other tips that will make your life easier and your Excel use more productive.

Separate Values in One Cell into Several Cells 

Have you ever slapped your forehead in dismay when a colleague sends you a spreadsheet for a mail merge that has data grouped in one cell instead of several? “Do they even know how a mail merge works?!” you might silently mumble to yourself, because you know you’re in for a lot of work fixing that data. 

Unless… you know this tip.

Say that your spreadsheet has the first and last name in the same column, but you need them separated into different columns. Here’s what to do.

·      Make sure you have enough empty columns to the right of the one holding the data for each piece of data you’re separating out. 

·      Select the cells or whole column that contains the text values that you want to separate.

·      On the Data tab, in the Data Tools group, click “Text to Columns.” 

·      Follow the prompts in the Convert Text to Columns Wizard, it will ask you things like, if the values are separated by a space or comma.

·      The Wizard will automatically separate the data for you down the entire column or selection at once.

Put Data from a Row into a Column

Trying to figure out the best way to display data can take some trial and error. If you’ve typed several rows of data that you now think would be better displayed in columns, that can mean a lot of copy/pasting. 

·      You can do this with a lot less effort by using the Transpose function in Excel. 

·      Copy the row or range of cells you want to transpose.

·      Move your cursor and click into a blank column where you’d like to put the data.

·      Go to Home, Paste, and choose the Transpose option. 

Add an Extra Line Within a Cell

It can be frustrating when you’re trying type a lot of text into a field and instead of being able to hit “enter” to add a line, you’re forced to have all the text just run together.

You CAN add an additional line inside a cell in Excel, just do this: Hold down the ALT key while pressing Enter.

Let Excel Convert Your Decimals to Fractions

Would you like to give your team a report that displays data both in decimals and fractions? Doing all those conversions yourself can take a while, even if you’re using an online calculator. 

Let Excel do the conversion work for you.

·      Copy the cells with the decimal values you’d like to convert and paste them into a new column.

·      With the data highlighted that you want to convert, on the Home tab, Numbers group, click the drop down to get the pop out window.

·      Choose Fractions from the options and voila! Your conversion is done for you. 

Add Protections to Your Excel Workbook

If you’re sharing your Excel workbook with others, you may want to protect certain elements, such as:

·      Encrypting with a password

·      Making it read only

·      Protecting the workbook structure

·      Marking it as a “Final”

You can access all these options easily by opening your Excel workbook file and then going to File > Info > Protect Workbook drop down.

Use Format Painter to Easily Expand Row/Column Formatting

Using things like cell background colors can make reading rows and columns of data much easier and make your presentations look better as well. If you’re struggling with copying formatting over and over down a row, use this trick to copy as many times as you like. 

·      Highlight the cell/row/column that has the formatting you want to copy.

·      Double click the Format Painter icon on the Home tab.

·      Drag your cursor down the rows or across the columns that you want to paste the format to.

·      Click once more on the Format Painter icon to turn off the paste function.

Improve Your Everyday Processes with BrainStomp 

Optimizing the processes that your team does day in and day out can make a big difference in your company’s overall productivity. We can help you uncover tips, tricks, and optimizations to make your business better than ever.

Contact us today to schedule a technology consultation! Call 260-918-3548 or reach out online.

2020’s Newest Excel Features in Microsoft 365 to Power Your Work

One of the value propositions of subscribing to Microsoft 365 is that you continue to get new features that can make a significant difference in your productivity. That’s one of the benefits that has made the software so popular with businesses.

As of February 2020, there were approximately 595,935 companies in the U.S. using Microsoft 365 for their business workflows. 

There are so many features being added to the platform regularly, it’s easy for users to miss one and not even realize a tool like Excel can now make their work even easier to do and improve business processes.

We’ve reviewed all the Excel feature updates that Microsoft has rolled out so far in 2020 to bring you the lowdown on some nifty new tricks you can do in this popular spreadsheet application. 

Have You Seen These New Excel Features?

XLOOKUP Function  

The XLOOKUP function in Excel allows you to find values that are located in a spreadsheet range or table.  

For example, if you have a spreadsheet of employee names and ID numbers, instead of having to scroll up and down to find specific ID’s, you can do an XLOOKUP instead.

What this will allow you to do is create two cells side-by-side. One will be where you would input the employee’s name, and the second would be filled in automatically by Excel with that person’s ID.

·      In an open cell type: =XLOOKUP

·      Select an empty cell where you’ll put the lookup value (i.e. where you’ll type the person’s name that you want to find the ID for)

·      Type in a comma

·      Select where to look up the value (i.e. select a series of cells in a column where employee names are listed)

·      Type in a comma

·      Select the data you want to see (i.e. select the cells containing the employee ID numbers)

·      Press Enter

Now you can type in any employee’s name to automatically see their ID number (or any other data you like). Here’s a handy video about XLOOKUP from Microsoft. 

Workbook Statistics

Get a quick bird’s eye view of your Excel workbook with a new feature option. Just click the Review tab in Excel and you’ll see Workbook Statistics in the Proofing area.

Clicking the feature pops up a window with details on both your current sheet and entire workbook like: 

·      End of sheet cell

·      Number of cells with data

·      Number of tables

·      Number of formulas

More Images, Icons, Backgrounds, Templates

Around the same time that Office 365 was renamed to Microsoft 365, thousands of new design “goodies” were added to the Office programs.

When you use the Insert > Illustrations menu option in Excel, you’ll find many royalty-free stock photos, icons, and other design items to use. Templates have also been expanded. Microsoft said they added “thousands” more of these design items to the platform for users. 

Ideas in Excel

Need some help deciding how to express your data or put it into a visualization? You can now get help from Excel using the new Ideas function.

Just highlight any data that you have in your spreadsheet and from the Home tab, click Ideas. A pane on the right-hand side will open offering several different ways that you can express that data and the ability to click to add a chart to your sheet. 

You can also go a step farther and ask about your data, such as “What are the sales by region?”, and Excel will answer you with a chart if all the variables are there to create it. 

This can be a huge shortcut when you’re creating various KPI analytics for your team to review.

Stocks & Geography Data Types

Pull in stock and geographical information without having to do a Google search. When you convert your data to one of these data types, it will automatically connect it to an online database to pull in information.

For example, say you are building a report on cities and need to look up things like population, average household income, etc.  All you have to do is convert your city names to the Geography data type, and you can bring in all that information from the online database in a click. 

·      To convert to a datatype, just highlight the data you want to convert, like city or state names, then on the Data tab, click either Stocks or Geography.

·      Then, highlight the data again and you’ll get a box at the top of your selection. Click that, and it opens a drop down of options based on the data type you selected (like population). 

·      Click to choose, and the data is populated in the next open right-hand column.

Are You Making the Most of Microsoft 365?

Microsoft 365 is so feature rich that often companies miss optimization opportunities. BrainStomp experts can help you uncover those features that can save you time and money in your daily operations.

Contact us today to schedule a technology consultation! Call 260-918-3548 or reach out online.

7 Microsoft Word Productivity Power User Tips

Microsoft Word is a mainstay in offices around the world. But many users have been working with Word throughout their careers, yet only scratching the surface when it comes to using it to its fullest. 

Often, all it takes is just knowing where to look to save tons of time when creating and editing documents. A few minutes saved here and there can really add up and help you get the most of your software solution.  

Word has multiple tips and tricks that can save time and make you more productive. Plus, Microsoft is adding new features all the time with usability in mind. 

63% of surveyed professionals say that MS Word is “crucially important” to their daily work.

Save Time & Get More Done with These MS Word Tips & Tricks

Have you ever spent 20 minutes just trying to fix paragraph spacing in a Word document? Wished you could have Century Gothic instead of Calibri as the default font? 

These tips will help you do all that and much more to power your productivity.

Set Your Default Font

Do you end up having to change the font in your documents all the time because you don’t like the default or it’s not the one your company uses?

Choose your default font and size by opening a Word document and pressing Ctrl + D. This will bring up a default font window

Choose your font, size, and style and then click “Set As Default” and you’ll always have the font you want when you open a new document.

Add a Calculator in Word 

Do you sometimes wish that Word made it as easy to calculate something as Excel? You can add a Calculator to Word which will calculate an equation for you at the click of a button.

First you need to add the feature to your Quick Access Toolbar. Go to File > Options > Quick Access Toolbar.

Edit the drop down at the top and choose “All Commands.” Locate “Calculate” and click Add to add it to your taskbar. It will show up as a small circle at the top, left side, next to things like Save and Undo.

Now, just type an equation, like: 1+2 

Highlight the equation and you’ll see that circle turn white. Click the circle and the answer to your equation will display at the bottom left of your screen, e.g. “The result of the calculation is: 3.”

One-Click Paragraph Fixes

One of the most frustrating things to happen while working on a document is when text on a page won’t behave the way you want it to. There might be bullets and tabs that aren’t lining up or paragraphs that have strange spacing. If you don’t know where to look, it can take forever to figure these out. 

Hidden in a pullout menu is an easy way to find all those paragraph settings. From the Home tab, click the small arrow to the right of the word “Paragraph.” You’ll get a pull-out menu where many of those spacing and tab features are tucked away.

Automatically Capitalize Words in Headings

If you’re working on a document with various headings and subheadings, you’ll most likely be holding down shift, to capitalize each word, slowing down your overall typing speed. 

Take a shortcut by using the case drop down option on the Home tab, Font area, and choosing Capitalize Each Word. You can type as you normally do, and the caps will be taken care of for you. 

Quickly Insert Links

How many steps do you take when you want to hyperlink text in a Word document? Do you right click then choose Link > Insert Link?

You can cut the time it takes to hyperlink in half by using this keyboard command. Just highlight where you want the link and type: Ctrl + K to bring up the link window.

Use the Search Box (The One at Top)

Users often mistake the “Search” Box in the top blue bar for the “Find” in the Edit menu. Find is for finding words within your document, Search is for getting quick help, and it can be a real time saver.

For example, if you want to quickly insert an arrow, instead of navigating to the insert menu and trying to find the arrow, just type “insert arrow” into the Search. 

Think of the Search like a helpful guide, there to take you where you need to go in Word. 

Be a Research Pro with Smart Lookup

Click over to the References panel in Word and you’ll find a magnifying glass icon indicating a feature called Smart Lookup. 

You can save time switching from Word to your browser to research items in your document using this helpful tip. Just highlight the text that you want to know more about (like Stonehenge, for example), and click the Smart Lookup. You’ll see a panel open up in Word to the right of your document with online Bing search results for webpages and pictures. 

Are You Getting the Most Out of Your Office Programs?

Often, businesses are only using a fraction of the power of their productivity tools. Work with the experts at BrainStomp to unleash your software’s full potential.

Contact us today to schedule a technology consultation! Call 260-918-3548 or reach out online.

Hidden Gems: Do You Know About These Microsoft Word Features?

Do you ever open Word and think, “I don’t know what half of these options do!”? You’re not alone. There are often new features added add to Word that users aren’t aware of but could make a big difference in their life.

For example, did you know that there is a LinkedIn powered resume helper in Word? What about an editor that you can use instead of using an add-in like Grammarly?

There is a whole treasure trove of hidden gems that a lot of users are completely unaware of because they tend to stick to the main areas of Word. 

Our goal is to help businesses and professionals get the most out of their technology and that includes streamlining modern office IT, so companies don’t suffer from app overload.

When you unlock hidden features in programs like Word, they can often take the place of things you’re doing in other programs or paid app subscriptions. That streamlining reduces waste and improves efficiency.

The average small business (less than 100 employees) uses between 40 - 79 different business applications. 

Following are a few of the most useful tools in Microsoft Word that you might not know about.

Useful MS Word Features That Many Users Don’t Realize It Has 

Resume Assistant: Get Expert Help with Your Resume 

Creating or updating a resume can be time intensive. How do you know what employers are looking for these days? What format should you use for past positions?

LinkedIn and Microsoft partnered up a few years back and the result was Word’s Resume Assistant.

Just open your resume in Word. If Word recognizes it as a resume, then the Resume Assistant will open in the right-side of the window automatically. You can also go to the Review pane and you’ll see Resume Assistant to the far right.

Type in the Role and Industry that you are pertinent to the position you’re looking for, and you’ll get all types of help in crafting your resume according to what others are doing.

Resume Assistant will show you:

• Work experience descriptions you can use for inspiration

• The top skills related to the role you input

• Open LinkedIn job opportunities that match 

You don’t have to have a LinkedIn account to use Resume Assistant.

Editor: Check Your Document for Grammar and More

A fairly recent addition to Microsoft Word is the Editor. You’ll see it designated on the home toolbar with a large pencil icon.

For those of you who’ve tried to use the Grammarly add-on for Word and found it a bit sluggish, Editor is going to be a big help. It takes Word beyond just spelling corrections to help you better refine your document as you’re creating it. 

In any document, click to open Editor and you’ll see a pane that includes the following document recommendations:

• Spelling

• Grammar

• Clarity

• Conciseness

• Formality

• Punctuation Conventions

• Vocabulary

Click into each area and you’ll find the exact text that Editor is making the recommendation for and can edit to make your document better.

Read Aloud: Have Your Text Read Back to You

It’s commonly known that it’s difficult to proofread what you’ve written yourself. If you’re the one that wrote a document, your brain will already know what a word should be and that can make you miss typos and grammar errors. 

But if there’s no one else around to ask to proofread for you, you don’t have much choice but to do it yourself.

Word’s Read Aloud feature can be a big help when it comes to proofreading. It will read highlighted text back to you so you’re “proof hearing” rather than proof reading, which can help you more easily spot a mistake.

It’s also an excellent feature to if you’re writing a speech or spoken presentation, because it will give you an idea of how your words are flowing out loud.

To use this feature, just highlight the text that you want to hear and click the Review panel, then choose Real Aloud, under the Speech tab. Your highlighted text will be read back to you (make sure you have your sound on).

Premium Templates: Enjoy Thousands More Document Templates

About half of MS Word users rely on templates to get a jumpstart on their documents. Think that you know them all by heart? You might want to look again.

When Office 365 was renamed to Microsoft 365, Microsoft also added thousands of premium templates for all the Office programs, including Word. So, the next time you get ready to start a new document, you may want to search templates first to check out all the new options for brochures, flyers, newsletters, and more.

Are You Suffering from Cloud App Overload?

Have you added so many apps over the years that you’re now suffering from overload and an expensive monthly subscription cost? Our BrainStomp experts can help you uncover features in your most used tools that can help you streamline to save time and money.

Contact us today to schedule a technology consultation! Call 260-918-3548 or reach out online.

New Features on iPadOS That Can Help You Get More Work Done

Apple recently rolled out a big gift for iPad users, which is an entirely updated operating system for the tablet called iPadOS. The new operating system adds a ton of productivity and use features that will make working on your iPad better. 

The initial announcement of the new OS happened last fall, but the rollout took a big longer. If you haven’t yet checked for it, you’ll want to go into settings on your iPad and check for updates. The current version is iPadOS 13.4.1 

One of the big changes over the last decade in modern office I.T. has been a move toward mobility. This includes working more on mobile devices, especially iPads and tablets which have larger screens and more versatility to do things than smaller smartphones.

87% of businesses rely on their employee’s ability to access mobile business applications from a tablet or smartphone.

What’s included in this major Apple update? We’ll go over the key productivity-related features below.

Exciting New iPadOS Features to Power Your Productivity

Do you enjoy using your iPad, but find it somewhat restricting when it comes to your work? The new iPadOS has multiple features that help free up users to do more, including making it easier to use tools like Apple Pencil.

Here’s what you can expect from the update to help you get more work done. 

Apple Pencil Improvements

One of the big productivity improvements in iPadOS is reducing the latency (i.e. lag time) of the Apple Pencil to as low as 9 milliseconds. This makes the experience more akin to writing on paper, making it less frustrating and time consuming. 

You’ll also have the ability to take a quick screenshot with Apple Pencil by dragging it from either bottom corner. You can then easily markup or email the screenshot.

Use Your iPad as an Additional Screen

With the new Sidecar feature, you have the ability to use your iPad as an extended desktop for your Mac. This allows you to see how a presentation may look in presentation mode while you’re editing it. 

Using iPad as a second screen gives you exceptional versatility to have a portable wired or wireless second screen when you need it.

Speedy Text Editing Features 

There are several text editing features in iPadOS designed to make working in documents faster and more efficient. These improve both speed and precision in a number of ways, including: 

·      Navigate long documents by dragging the scroll bar

·      Pick up the cursor and drag it where you want, it automatically snaps to lines and in between words

·      Tap and swipe to quickly select text

·      Double-tap for intelligent selection of addresses, phone numbers, and more

·      New gestures for cut, copy, paste, and undo/redo give you speed akin to keyboard shortcuts

Type Faster with Keyboard Swipe

You can now use QuickPath in the QuickType keyboard to swipe your finger from one letter to another for faster typing with no need to move your finger away from the keyboard.

If you prefer to tap to type for some work, you can do both interchangeably, even if you’re in the middle of a sentence. 

Easier File Viewing 

The new OS for iPad has a Column View that allows you to quickly browse files that are deep in nested folders by just selecting the file to get a high-resolution preview.

Ever get frustrated from too little information when viewing a file icon that requires you to open it up to see what it is? Column View helps streamline that process by giving you a rich set of metadata with details on each file you’re browsing, without needing to open each one.

More Control Over File Management

You can now create new folders on the local drive and additionally have external drive support. This allows your iPad to access files on a USB, SD card, or hard drive.

Are you working remotely and need to access a file server back at the office? iPadOS makes this possible. 

This is a significant time saver, because Instead of having to figure out the best way to get assets from another device to your iPad, you can connect to a file server at work or a home PC by using SMB from Files from your iPad directly to grab them.

Better Multitasking

The need to multitask at work is now pretty much a given. With the new iPad update, you’ll be able to do this better on your tablet. 

The update includes the ability to:

·      Use Split View to see two app windows at the same time

·      Pull up an app in a side window using Slide Over to quickly access things like email or reminders

·      Use Mac’s Expose feature, added to iPadOS, to see an overview of all your open apps

Performance Boost

Better performance means you get more done. There are several areas where Apple worked to increase speed and efficiency, including:

·      Apps launch up to 2x faster

·      Apps you get from the App Store take up as much as 50% less space

·      Face ID Unlock is up to 30% faster 

·      App updates will be as much as 60% smaller

Find the Best Ways to Integrate Mobile into Your Workflow

For mobile solutions to be as effective as possible, they need to be included in a full company technology strategy. BrainStomp can help ensure your business takes full advantage of the benefits of mobility.

Contact us today to schedule a technology consultation! Call 260-918-3548 or reach out online.

Tips for Smart Data Management for Remote Workers

Most offices are settling into utilizing a remote workforce since the coronavirus pandemic began. Over the last few weeks they may have sorted out their cloud solutions and have everyone using a team messaging platform like Teams to stay connected.

But what about data management?

Remember, if the data your office is creating isn’t on your on-premises server, it’s not getting backed up.

Data management and security can face a lot of challenges when data is being generated from multiple offsite locations. When your team is working outside your physical office technology infrastructure, you have to accommodate all those remote “satellite offices” at employees’ homes and ensure they’re included in your backup and data security plan. 

Start by asking questions, such as:

·      How is data being generated?

·      What cloud platforms is data being stored in?

·      Which physical devices are storing data?

·      How are documents being secured according to their classification?

·      Is all your data (no matter where it’s located) being backed up?

58% of small and medium-sized businesses are not prepared for a data loss incident.

When it comes to data management, there are two key concerns: 

1.    Data backup and recovery; and 

2.    Data leakage (when sensitive data is accidentally exposed)

We’ll go through tips on both that will help you ensure that the data your remote workforce is generating is being properly managed to prevent data loss and data leakage.

Ensure Your Data is Being Protected, No Matter Where it Resides

Adjusting to the new normal of a remote workforce, whether it’s temporary or potentially more permanent, will help your business be more resilient in the face of any future events. Should a natural disaster occur, you’ll already have systems and data management techniques in place to keep your company running remotely.

Data loss can occur any number of ways when you have employees working offsite. These include:

·      Hard drive crash

·      Ransomware infection

·      Accidental deletion

·      Software or hardware conflict

·      Cloud synching problem

·      Cloud server outage

·      Data breach of a cloud account (like Microsoft 365)

The tips below will help you put systems in place that prevent data loss and ensure all your business content is captured and secured properly for staff that is working remotely.

Put Document Security Policies in Place

Policies for document labeling and security that you had in place at your office, might not translate when you have employees working from their homes. Put together a remote document security policy that includes the proper handling and labeling procedure for confidential or “department eyes only” documents.

This helps prevent data leakage incidents which often lead to data privacy compliance violations, where sensitive data is exposed or shared accidentally because it’s not properly labeled or protected

For example, you could use a system like sensitivity labels in Microsoft 365 that can automatically apply document protection security policies based upon the label attached to a document or email.

This type of document security strategy will help ensure your most sensitive data, such as customer credit card details or R&D documents, are still being properly secured throughout your network.

Back Up Your Cloud Platforms

Most companies are able to function and still run their business remotely during the coronavirus quarantine because of cloud platforms. These services allow employees to access data and business apps from anywhere, on any device.

But often, companies don’t properly back up their data contained in the cloud. They mistakenly think that by virtue of being in a cloud service that it’s also being backed up. 

However, that’s not the case. Cloud providers, such as Microsoft and Google, recommend that data in their services be backed up by a third-party solution to prevent data loss.

Use a cloud backup and recovery program designed for cloud service backup to ensure all that data is being protected.

Have Employees Store Files in a Central Location

If employees are all storing company data on their computer hard drives, you could end up losing that data or having it at risk of a breach. Data created by remote workers may also be missing from central file access areas. 

For example, someone trying to locate the latest copy of a sales brochure may not find it on your company server or cloud storage because a remote employee saved it to their hard drive and forgot to upload it.

Give your remote employees specific instructions on where all files should be stored, whether it’s through a remote connection to your server or in a cloud system like OneDrive or Google Drive. Then make sure that the central location is included in your backup and recovery strategy.

Back Up Employee Devices, Just in Case

Inevitably, when your team is working remotely, there will be times that data is stored on the computer they’re using at home. There may be an internet outage, or they may have trouble uploading a large document and store it locally until they can get IT help. 

Don’t take a chance that important data could be lost. Include your employee devices in a cloud backup plan that captures all company data. 

If employees are using their personal devices, they can simply store any work documents in a specific folder and the company’s cloud backup can include just that folder.

PS: Don’t forget mobile devices, like tablets or smartphones that employees may also be using for creating and storing business data.

Try to Keep Communication Centralized

Part of your business data includes communications. These could be texts or messages between employee departments or your team and your customers. It also includes emails and any company related calls.

Use a platform like Microsoft Teams or another type of “all-in-one” VoIP solution that can capture multiple types of communications (messages, emails, phone calls) and keep them all in one place so you don’t lose any important communication trails.

Get Help with an All-Encompassing Backup Solution 

BrainStomp can help your business with a streamlined backup solution that captures all your data, no matter where it lives, and doesn’t drag down productivity.

Contact us today to learn more! Call 260-918-3548 or reach out online.

How to Make Your Home Office Look Professional for Online Meetings

In the last few weeks, millions of employees have had to make the transition to working from home to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. In person meetings have gone online, causing a significant increase in the use of video conferencing to keep teams connected with each other and their business clients. 

This has led to some embarrassing Zoom and Skype calls for people that are not used to having their home showcased in video calls. 

Things like poor lighting, children’s toys, and unmade beds in the background of your video calls can definitely make an impact on how people perceive you and your company.

But you don’t have to dread those video meetings. With a few modern office IT tips you can easily create a home office space that looks great for your online video meetings and puts you in a professional light.

Tips for Great Looking Video Calls at Home 

Think of some of the video calls that you’ve been on with colleagues or customers. When you see someone sitting on a sofa with used dishes on a table next to them, you’re immediately drawn to that rather than the meeting conversation. 

A “bad look” in the background of a video call doesn’t just mean the others on the call are unconsciously judging you, it’s also often keeping the call from being as productive as it could be due to unneeded distractions.

Here are some tips for creating a professional online look for video meetings from your home office. 

Set Up a Specific Work Desk/Table/Area 

Many people use laptops because it allows them to work from anywhere in their home - a sofa, backyard patio, kitchen table. But when you’re going to be on video calls from home, you want to designate a single area for those meetings, not give people a tour of your home whenever they dial in.

Look for one spot in your house or apartment where you can control the environment behind you. It doesn’t have to be a large space, just a corner of a room that you can use each time you’re on a call, so the background remains consistent. 

Don’t Leave Too Much Space Behind You

Your home office space should have a wall within a few feet behind you. Aim for about a maximum of 8-10 feet. If you have too much area that can be seen in the background, i.e. a kitchen, it’s distracting and there is a bigger chance that a person or pet in your household is going to walk behind you during a call. 

Pay Attention to Lighting

Poor lighting during a video call can make you look too dark, like you’re sitting in a cave, or be way too bright and stark.

Natural lighting is the best if you have the option to use a nearby window. It’s often recommended to take photos in natural light because it doesn’t cause severe shadows.

Whether you’re using a natural source or artificial light, you want to sit facing a light source.  Soft, directional light is best. You’ll often hear actors talk about “lighting me right” when complementing how they look in a film.  

You can find more tips on video conference lighting here.

Position Your Camera Correctly

You don’t want to be too close to the video camera, where your face is taking up the whole screen. You also don’t want to have the camera at a strange angle. 

What can often happen when people are using a laptop to video conference is that the camera will be below their chin, giving a strange upshot of their face.

You want the camera to be eye level. So, you may need to use a stand or some books to raise up your laptop camera.

Keep the Background Simple and Clutter-Free

Less is more when it comes to the background of your home office during a video call. You don’t want so many trinkets sitting on a bookcase behind you that people are looking at them instead of paying attention.

Having just a few pictures on a wall behind you or a bookcase that’s not too cluttered work well for a professional looking backdrop.

You may also want to add a plant for a touch of warmth and pop of color in front of a white or beige wall.

Be careful about going too simple. For instance, a plain white wall behind you in a video conference can make it look like you’re getting ready to pose for a mugshot.

Don’t Sit on the Couch

Sitting on a couch for a video conference doesn’t give the impression that you’re working very hard, even if you are.

An office chair would be optimal, but if you don’t have one at home, a stool or kitchen chair can give you the height you want and not look like you’re getting ready to watch Netflix.

Be Careful of Those Virtual Backgrounds

Many types of video conference software offer a fun option where you can use a photo as your background. “Fun” is the key word here. That may be fun when you’re chatting with family and friends, but they don’t look very professional during a video meeting for work. 

Often there are distracting pixilated areas as you’re moving your head that ruin the effect. They end up being more distracting during professional calls than they are helpful.

Do “Screen Tests” of Your Video Call Look 

Once you have your background, chair, lighting, etc. where you think they need to be, video conference with a friend or family member and do a “screen test.” This will help you find any last-minute optimizations and make sure you’re completely comfortable for your next work video call.

Get Help with the Video Hardware & Software You Need

Is your business struggling to find a sweet spot with the right video conferencing solutions? BrainStomp can help by evaluating your needs and letting you know which software would be your best options.

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

VPN in Layman’s Terms & Why It’s Vital to Use One While Working Remotely

Millions of company networks may be at increased risk right now due to the unexpected transition to having their employees work from home during the coronavirus outbreak.

Businesses that worked hard to get a secure technology infrastructure in place at their office, now find it fractured. Employees working remotely are often on a mix of personal devices and connecting to the office through less secure home networks.

There are a number of dangers when connecting to cloud platforms, office computers and servers through a home network. These include:

·      Consumer routers typically have fewer security safeguards than business routers 

·      Home networks often have multiple higher risk devices sharing them (doorbell cameras, teen’s gaming computers, etc.). 

·      Hackers are targeting home networks due to so many employees being sent home to work during the COVID-19 emergency.

Routers and smart security cameras make up 90% of hacked IoT devices.

One of the best ways to make sure your company’s data security remains strong when employees on home networks are connecting to company assets is to use a virtual private network (VPN).

Business VPN’s Explained

Using a VPN adds an important layer of security to the data transmitted over an internet connection. Instead of connecting directly from your computer through your network to the internet, the VPN is acting as a middleman. 

·      Normal Internet connection: Your device > Internet

·      VPN Internet connection: Your device > VPN server > Internet

Why add the VPN middleman? Because it encrypts your communications, protecting them from being compromised by a hacker who has broken into a home network. A VPN also secures your online session if you’re connected to a free public Wi-Fi.

The “private” part of the virtual private network is the fact that your IP address is kept private.

Normally when you’re connecting to the internet, the sites you visit will read your IP address, which roughly identifies your location. The IP address will typically be assigned by your internet service provider. 

When using a VPN, you’re given a choice of servers to use to connect to the internet. The IP address of that VPN server is the one that websites see, not your personal home IP address.

How Do Employees Use a VPN?

Using a VPN is simple for employees. First, the company signs up for a business VPN account with a trusted provider. Then they can assign employee devices to their VPN account. 

Employees simply download the VPN application onto the devices they use for work. Sign in with their company account details and turn the VPN on. 

This will automatically direct their internet connection through the secure VPN server, so their data transmissions are encrypted and protected.

Advantages of Using a Business VPN

There are several advantages for businesses that use VPNs, both during this pandemic, and anytime.

Keeps All Connections Secure

It’s not generally possible for a business to control every network that remote or mobile employees are using to connect to business apps and data. A VPN gives them blanket coverage for all connections, despite the security level of their current wireless connection.

Business VPNs use enterprise-level encryption to keep hackers from being able to intercept data transmissions.

Additional Web Protection through DNS Filtering

Most business VPNs include critical DNS filtering to help combat phishing attacks. DNS filtering looks at the URLs that a user is visiting and checks for malicious sites before directing your browser. 

This is an important protection against phishing emails that use hyperlinks directing users to sites that download malicious code on their device as soon as the page is loaded. DNS filtering can block those malicious web pages. 

Servers Designed to Improve Speed 

VPN providers use multiple servers placed throughout the world to offer the lowest latency (lag time) and best speeds that they can for online connections. Users can be routed through the best VPN for them based upon their location.

The speed comes from the fact that some VPN servers can translate domain addresses faster than home ISP’s. This results in faster connections to cloud applications and when browsing online. 

Protect Your Cloud Business Apps

You can connect a business VPN to your cloud apps – Office 365, Salesforce, etc. – to create a secure access point that keeps unauthorized users from accessing your cloud data.

This secure access point then allows you to control which users can access which cloud applications. The VPN also allows you to monitor cloud access traffic, which can help you spot any strange behavior that may suggest an attempted attack.

Easy to Deploy 

It’s quick and easy to deploy a VPN throughout your organization to protect all your employee connections at once. Accounts can be set up in minutes and all employees need to do is download the app, sign in, and turn it on.

That blanket of protection is critical when you have the dual risk of multiple remote workers and hackers trying to take advantage of them.

Need Help Getting Started with a Business VPN?

You can focus on running your business and BrainStomp will ensure your operations and remote workers stay secure. 

Contact us today to get set up with a secure VPN! Call 260-918-3548 or reach out online.