How To Get More Done By Unlocking The Secrets Of Microsoft Office

     I read somewhere that the average Microsoft Office user uses less than 10% of the features available to them in the software. If that’s true, then Office is a treasure trove of shortcuts, tools, and features just waiting to be unleashed. Of course, we don’t know what we don’t know – which is why most people never invest in training to learn these features and tools and make shorter work of various projects. To quote an old axiom, “We’re too busy chopping trees to stop and sharpen the ax.”

     Of course, not all training is created equal and you DO want to make sure you are getting the biggest bang for your buck; so the first thing you need to determine is which software applications do you use the most? Word? Excel? Publisher? Next, you need to determine your learning style. Are you good at self-study or do you prefer to have someone walking you through the lessons? There are many self-training and online courses to choose from. One of our favorite sites we use for training is CBT Nuggets. You can visit www.cbtnuggets.com and browse their library of Office videos before making any commitments.

Is Your Data Really Secure In The Cloud?

     Are you thinking about moving all or parts of your computer network “to the cloud” but worried about who can access your data? You’re not alone – but many security experts, software companies and cloud service providers alike agree that cloud computing offers a MORE secure way to store data. In fact, the US government’s cyber security adviser Howard Schmidt  had said that cloud computing will enable businesses to catch up on security issues.

     That’s because most small businesses do NOT have high-security measures in place for their data onsite and lack tight password protection policies, firewall management, and backup procedures. The same business owners who verbalize their concern about putting their data in the cloud are backing up their entire network to a tape drive and leaving it in their car overnight – or are using weak passwords for important access points to their network, which are much bigger security risks than storing it in a highly secure, highly redundant cloud platform. That’s like saying you’d rather stuff your money into a mattress at home than keep it in a bank because you’re not sure who can see and touch your money.

     Of course, with any data storage there is risk and there’s no way to completely guarantee absolute security. That said, most cloud providers are far more diligent about security and invest millions of dollars into ensuring all aspects of security are as tight as possible.

     At Myers Network Solutions we have spent a considerable amount of time building our cloud solutions to offer to our clients. Working in a partnership with other IT companies throughout the US we are confident that our research has allowed us to develop a secure cloud environment. If you want more information on cloud security, give us a call.

How To Manage Your Company’s Online Presence With One Simple App

     So you’ve bought into the whole social media and online marketing idea and you’re Tweeting, posting to Facebook, LinkedIn, blogging and using Google+ (not to mention dozens of other online tools and resources) to promote your company. Whew!

     However, here’s the little “gotcha” to all of this that you might not have thought about: how do you manage all of this? And how can you keep an eye on these various websites to make sure you’re not missing a customer service issue, negative post or even a sales opportunity? The answer is HootSuite.

     HootSuite is an online aggregation tool that allows you to review and manage all your online postings and presence through a simple, easy to use interface. All in one place, you can manage your company’s Twitter accounts, your personal Facebook account, your company Facebook fanpage, your LinkedIn posts, your WordPress blog entries and more. You can even assign rights to any of your accounts to other team members without ever giving up a single password.

     Other helpful features of HootSuite include:

• Monitor social mentions of your name or company wherever they happen.
• Pre-schedule posting to happen any time in the future.
• Easily post your message across multiple social media sites with the simple click of a button in your HootSuite portal.
• Create custom reports to see where your traffic goes and what is working.
  

When An Employee Loses A Laptop, Phone, Or Other Device, Who Should Pay?

     Here’s a little quandary for you to consider: If you have employees using company owned laptops, phones or other devices, who’s responsible for replacing them if they get lost, stolen, or damaged? This is a sticky question and one that needs to be addressed BEFORE Joe walks into your office to sheepishly admit he’s left his laptop at Starbucks last night.

     Under federal law, an employer has the right to deduct the costs of a lost or damaged device from their employee’s paycheck PROVIDED that deduction doesn’t drop the employee’s compensation below the minimum wage. However, California considers the loss and damage of electronic devices to be a cost of doing business and will only allow you to charge back your employees if they were negligent. Other states may have similar laws – so the first thing you should do is check with an attorney who specializes in employment law for your state to know what you can and can’t do.

     Next, decide what your policy is going to be on this topic and communicate that in writing to your employees. It should outline what care they should take with company owned mobile devices as well as the consequences of losing or damaging them. Yes, the term “policy” makes us all cringe, but it’s important to make sure you and your employees have a written understanding of what your expectations are, as well as what their responsibility is.

A BIGGER Loss To Consider

The cost of replacing a lost device is actually insignificant compared to the bigger cost and risk of the data it contains. Of course this opens up another can of worms all employers need to think about – security on mobile devices. And since some employees are using their OWN devices, you’ll need to think through what the rules are for company owned AND employee owned devices. (Aside, putting your data in the cloud can help.)

     But one thing is for sure: if you and your employees are storing sensitive information like passwords, credit card information, client or patient data on mobile devices, extra care MUST be taken to ensure the security of that data if the device is stolen. As always, if you need help in determining what your policy should be and how to secure mobile devices, give us a call. We also have IT partners across the country, so don’t let location stop you from getting the help you need.