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Get ready for the IE11 retirement. Switch to Microsoft Edge today

Get ready for the IE11 retirement. Switch to Microsoft Edge today

Microsoft has recently announced that it is permanently disabling Internet Explorer 11 (IE11) on certain versions of Windows 10 from February 14, 2023. This update will be rolling out to the Microsoft Edge Stable channel over the next week via a progressive rollout process.

Microsoft Edge Browser

The purpose of the update is to redirect users from IE11 to Microsoft Edge. Once the update is installed, users will be informed that IE has been retired and is no longer supported. Selecting “Continue” will start the redirection process from Internet Explorer 11 to Microsoft Edge. As part of the update, the Microsoft Edge icon will replace all IE icons in the start menu and taskbar.

What if I need IE for certain websites?

If any website you visit is incompatible with Microsoft Edge and requires IE, you can reload it with IE mode in Microsoft Edge once redirected. To enable IE mode, click the Ellipsis (three horizontal dots) in the top, right-hand corner of Microsoft Edge. Then select “Reload in Internet Explorer Mode” from the options.

Will I lose IE browser data such as favourites and passwords?

All data that was saved in your IE browser, including your favourites, history, cookies and passwords, will be brought over to Microsoft Edge so you can seamlessly continue browsing.

Preparing your Business for the Update

It is essential to prepare your business for this update by taking the necessary steps beforehand. In order to plan an effective transition strategy for this update, it is important to consider how your business uses IE11 and which websites need it to function.

Proactive steps to ensure that you are prepared

Ensure all staff members understand which sites they need to access and if any require training to help them become familiar with using Microsoft Edge as a substitute browser. Consider this update and its effects on your day-to-day operations. If you have already transitioned from IE11 to Microsoft Edge, the update will not impact you.

Will Legacy Applications continue to function?

Businesses that rely heavily on legacy applications should pay close attention as these applications may no longer work correctly after the upgrade if not properly configured in advance. If not checked prior to the update, there could be significant disruptions to the overall productivity of those affected. Special attention should also be on assessing whether or not these legacy applications need updating or replacing prior to implementing the update from Internet Explorer 11 to Microsoft Edge across your systems.

After over a decade, it is time to bid farewell to Internet Explorer 11. It is essential for IT managers and small business owners alike to take initiative-taking steps ahead of time to ensure a smooth transition away from IE11 and towards using Microsoft Edge. Proper planning and preparation will also ensure your business is equipped with the necessary tools and resources during this transition.

How to set up Internet Explorer

Transforming the Search Experience: Microsoft Bing and Edge Unveil AI-Powered Upgrade

Transforming the Search Experience: Microsoft Bing and Edge Unveil AI-Powered Upgrade

“AI will fundamentally change every software category, starting with the largest category of all – search,” stated Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO, Microsoft. “Today, we’re launching Bing and Edge powered by AI co-pilot and chat, to help people get more from search and the web.”

Yusuf Medhi unveiling the new Bing

Since the launch of ChatGPT on the web in November 2022, interest in AI-powered text generation has skyrocketed, leading Microsoft, which has a close partnership with ChatGPT creator OpenAI, to integrate the technology into its suite of office software. Microsoft has upgraded its search engine Bing, to use the same AI technology that underpins chatbot ChatGPT to bring a new, enhanced version of Bing.

The upgrade promises to bring new AI-enhanced features for its Edge browser, which will work together to provide a more immersive and personalised experience for browsing the web and finding information online.

Yusuf Medhi presents a few examples

In demonstrations, Microsoft executive,  Yusuf Medhi unveiled “the new Bing”, in action with various examples. One demonstration shows traditional search results side by side with indexed AI annotations and another mode that allows users to talk directly to the Bing chatbot, like ChatGPT’s interface. The new Bing can retrieve current news and events, unlike ChatGPT, which has a knowledge cut-off of 2021.

Some of the scenarios that were demonstrated included asking for recipes, travel advice, and furniture shopping. In one demonstration, the chatbot was asked to plan a 5-day trip to Mexico City. It delivered a comprehensive itinerary, complete with links to supplementary information sources, impressing those in attendance.

Yusuf Medhi Travel Itinerary example

A ‘limited preview’ of the new Bing is live today for desktop users to try. However, currently, users are limited to asking pre-set queries and receiving the same answers. A waitlist is also available for those who wish to gain full access in the future. Try the new Bing here.

Along with the new Bing search engine, Microsoft is introducing two new AI-powered features for its Edge browser: “Chat” and “Compose.” These features will be integrated into the Edge browser’s sidebar. “Chat” will provide users with a summary of the webpage or document and allow them to ask questions about the content. “Compose” serves as a writing assistant that generates text, including emails and social media posts, based on initial prompts.

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How to Protect Your Data in the Cloud

How to Protect Your Data in the Cloud

Before the pandemic, many businesses took measured steps to transition to cloud technology. The global pandemic forced many companies to make rapid changes to allow their employees to work from home. Although there were security implications associated with such drastic measures, it has resulted in massive gains in cybersecurity.

The cloud has revolutionised the way businesses store and manage data. Thanks to major vendors investing in top-tier security measures, businesses of all sizes can rely on a high level of protection for their confidential information, along with regular updates as more features are added daily.

Despite the advances in cybersecurity technology, businesses still experience security breaches. Often, these breaches can be avoided when the right policies and configurations are in place.

To ensure your business is adequately protected without breaking the bank, let’s look at a few simple yet effective measures that are included with Microsoft 365.

Microsoft 365

Use Microsoft 365 Business Premium

All Microsoft 365 plans include security features, but Premium provides far more features specifically designed for business environments.

Use Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

When every user is authenticated correctly, the risk of security breaches drastically decreases. Furthermore, this powerful security feature can be executed speedily, taking a few minutes per account.

The two most secure MFA methods include the Security key method (which involves using a separate security key that you can insert into a PC or mobile device to authenticate the login) and the use of an authentication app. If you use voice and SMS-based MFA please do so with caution. SMS and Voice MFA do not use encryption, making it easy for hackers to intercept them.

Data Security in the cloud

Admin Account Protection

No user should have admin rights on their primary account because even admins can make mistakes when checking email or casually browsing. Users should only have the access they need for the time they need it. Implement a limited access policy to cut the chances of any violations.

Disable Anonymous Sharing

Anonymous sharing is enabled by default, allowing you to share documents with anyone. Meaning, a document could accidentally get sent to the wrong person. By disabling this feature, you will have more control over where your business data is shared.

SharePoint

Monitor SharePoint for Changes and Access Events

SharePoint is a practical way to keep your team informed. You can receive alerts for suspicious activity and notifications when someone deletes more than five files or copies a large amount of data. This can help prevent data loss accidents as well as malicious acts.

Implement Device Policies and Management

Your workforce may use various devices to carry out tasks. Each device is a potential path into your protected environment, so it is essential to have strong policies in place. You can create policies that require complex passwords and insist that Windows updates are performed promptly. Endpoints are now the most prominent threat, so use the free device protection in your Microsoft Business Premium subscription to boost security.

Block Client Forwarding Rules

Enabling email forwarding might breach your workplace policies and also put your business at risk. Suppose a hacker managed to gain access to an account, they could forward emails to an address of their choice, allowing them access to leak sensitive business information and wreak havoc.

The importance of online data security

Data Loss Prevention (DLP) Policies

In Microsoft 365 Business Premium, you can designate rules around your data, such as restricting certain document types from being emailed. You can use these rules to prevent sensitive information, such as credit cards, Medicare, and licence numbers, from being emailed, cutting a critical risk. If your business must share sensitive data, we recommend uploading documents to a secure file storage platform such as OneDrive or Google Drive and then generating a secure link to share with relevant individuals/teams.

Improve Your Microsoft Secure Score

Microsoft 365 includes a handy tool that evaluates your security posture and provides a score based on system configurations, user behaviour, and other measurements. In addition, the tool offers you a prioritised list of recommendations to support you in raising your security level.

Backup Your Cloud Data

A common misconception is that someone, somewhere, is backing everything up for you in the cloud, but that isn’t entirely true. Understand what your data loss acceptance level looks like and find a data backup solution you are satisfied with.

The best online data security protection is prevention through training

Training

Regarding cybersecurity, it is no surprise that human error is the most common cause of security breaches. Regardless of all the possible precautions you take to minimise the risk of cybercrime, all it can take is a link click, download, missed update or misconfiguration to lead to a big problem.

The best way to avoid human error is to enforce cyber security guidelines and provide online and in-person training and testing.

Testing should include a targeted phishing campaign to see who clicks – this can help you to identify who requires training.

As part of any cyber security audit, we look at physical security; you’d be surprised how many people still put their password on a post-it note by their monitor and how many visitors are left unsupervised around sensitive information!

Most of the actions in this post require little or no help to set up and will immediately reduce your risk of a breach. While it is worth investing in a cyber security review and the assistance of a data security specialist, there is plenty that you can do yourself to become less of a target to hackers.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about data protection.

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Chat with clients in real-time with a Teams Chat link

Chat with clients in real-time with a Teams Chat link

It is common for most businesses to give their clients the usual communication options such as phone numbers, email addresses and links to their social media pages. These contact methods are fine and cater to a broad range of businesses and their recipients. But what if you could make it even easier for your recipients to contact you? What if they could DM you with just a click of a button – straight from your email signature? Well, it IS possible with Microsoft Teams! Add a chat link to your signature for effortless direct replies!

A Microsoft Teams chat link may not appeal to everyone or might not align with some company policies. But for those who want their clients to quickly engage with them, the Microsoft Teams chat link makes it as easy as clicking a link.

When clicked, the Teams chat link directs recipients straight to your Teams Chat channel even if they don’t have Teams!

If they don’t have Teams, they can choose to download the app or start an unmanaged Teams account on the web instead. The link will of course work for anyone in your company, so you can also use it for internal emails, intranet pages, newsletters, etc.

The Teams chat link will give companies a competitive edge with its endless possibilities. Departments and industries like PR, marketing, sales and HR could really take advantage of this feature.

Creating the link is surprisingly easy. Follow the steps below to add a Teams chat link to your signature.

Please Note:
Your Teams Administrator must allow external guests to chat with individuals within the company otherwise the link will not work.

How to create the Teams chat link

1. First, copy the link below:

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/chat/0/0?users=(youremailaddress)

2. Paste the link in a text editor of your choice (Word, Notepad, etc)

3. Replace (youremailaddress) with your email address, including the brackets() and ensure there are no spaces.

* Below is a working example of the Teams chat link:

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/chat/0/0?users=renee.bean@keytech.au
Teams chat link screenshot

3. Now you have your link, ensure it works by clicking it or pasting it into your browser.

When clicked, the link will give the options to chat in the Teams app, download the app or just the web app. (see screenshot below)

Options when Teams chat link is clicked

Once you confirm it works, you can send it to anyone via email, SMS, social posts, etc.

How to add the Teams chat link to your Outlook email signature

To learn how to add the link to your email signature in Outlook, follow our instructions here.

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How to Create an Outlook Email Signature

How to Create an Outlook Email Signature

If you are using Microsoft 365, you might like to use a signature management application that appends to emails after you send them from any device. The email signature management application creates brand consistency and is a great marketing tool.

This article, however, will show you the process of creating an email signature using the Microsoft 365 Outlook application. Let’s get started!

Step 1.

Choose “New Email”, as if you were composing a new email.

Step 1 Click New email

Steps 2 and 3.

Click “Signature” then click Signatures…”

Step 2 and 3 Click Signature then click Signatures...

Steps 4

The Signatures and Stationery window will appear. Click the button that says New” to create a new signature. 

Step 4 Dialogue box pops up, click New button

Step 5

Type a name for your signature when prompted, then click “OK”.

Step 5 Name your signature

Step 6.

In the larger “Edit signature” field, design your signature. It is here that you can format your signature’s text and add links and images.

To add an image click the insert image icon Insert and image by clicking this icon

To add a link (or Teams chat link) to your signature, select the image or text you want to apply the link to. Next click the link icon: Link Icon

Step 6 Insert Image and link

Steps 7 and 8.

Paste your link in the “Address:” field and press “OK” to continue.

Step 8 paste your link in the address field and press "ok"

Step 9.

The link has been applied, to save your signature, click “OK”.

Step 9 Link is created, confirm and save by clicking "OK"

Step 10.

Now you can use your signature by clicking on “Signature” again. This time you will see your signature in the dropdown box. Click on the new signature to use it.

Compose your email and send it as you usually would.

Step 10 click "Signature" and find your new signature in the drop down box. Click it to choose it

Step 11.

Once you have clicked on the signature that you created, it will appear at the bottom of your email. Test that your link goes to the correct page/application.

Compose or make any edits to your email and send it as you normally would.

Step 11. Completed signature. Test link works

Need additional instructions?

Please let us know if you have any difficulties. We are happy to assist you. We welcome your feedback so we can further improve our processes. Our aim is to make your life easier so you can get your time back.

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Product: Yealink MeetingBoard

Product: Yealink MeetingBoard

Yealink MeetingBoard

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  • Microsoft Teams whiteboarding is a cloud application that could allow everyone to join and collaborate at any place
  • Built-in 4K Camera
  • Optional PTZ Camera
  • 16 MEMS MIC Array
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  • All Noise Cancellation
  • Smart inking – Four-level input smart digital ink recognition feature supported on the
    touch – writing with pen tip, navigating with fingers, erasing with pen tail and the palm rejection.
  • Multi-inking simultaneously also supports multiple people collaborating simultaneously.
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Watch the video

See the Yealink MeetingBoard in action!

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