MSPNetworks Blog

If you feel like you have too many browser tabs open at any given time, then you'll be happy to know that you can sometimes save certain browser tabs as a standalone application on your device. This will give them their own icon and make accessing them much easier than constantly navigating to them through your web browser.

Keyboard shortcuts are undeniably useful—to the point that some are almost ubiquitous. However, there are a lot that aren’t, and they are just about as useful. We wanted to introduce you to these shortcuts so you can incorporate them into your workflows.

It is important to keep modern computers clean, and laptops are no exception. However, a laptop's different form factor makes cleaning it much different from cleaning a traditional desktop computer.

A screenshot can be a remarkably handy thing to have on hand, for both your own purposes and especially for the purposes of technology support. While there are many tools out there that can help you take effective screenshots, there is a modern solution available for all users of Windows 11. Let’s look at how you can use it!

How to Take a Screenshot in Windows 11

There is an easy keyboard shortcut to take a screenshot. Hold down the Windows Key and the Shift Key, then press S.

Windows key + Shift + S

You might notice the screen going a bit darker than usual, and your mouse will turn into a plus icon.

From here, you just click and drag your mouse over the area you want to take your screenshot of. You can do this by clicking with the left mouse button. After you let go of the mouse button, your screenshot will be saved to the temporary clipboard.

Plug Your Screenshot into an Email or Document

You can easily share your screenshots through a chat, email, or document. Just click anywhere you want to insert it, then use Ctrl and V to paste the image.

If the application you are using accepts screenshots, you’ll see your image pop up. You can give this a shot in Microsoft Word, Publisher, OneNote, Evernote, Outlook, Gmail, and several other similar applications.

Save Screenshots as Images

You can also save your screenshot as an image for later use. All you have to do is follow these easy steps.

Once you’ve taken your screenshot, use the Windows key on your keyboard to open up the start menu. Use the search box to find “paint,” which will show the Paint app from the options available to you. Open the application by clicking on it.

(If you want to perform this action very quickly, simply press the Windows Key and start typing the word “paint” until the paint app is displayed and highlighted—for most people this will show up by the time you type p-a or p-a-i, so you can save yourself a few keystrokes, and then simply hit Enter to load the application.)

After Paint opens, you can use the same Ctrl and V shortcut to paste your screenshot into the application.

Now that you’re at this step, you can use Ctrl and Shift with the X key to crop the image around your screenshot. This removes the white space around it.

The last step is to save the image; you can do this with Ctrl and S. You can save the image as a JPEG or a PNG, with JPEG being the more compatible of the two formats.

Once you have saved your screenshot as a file, it’s simple to share it or access it as you see fit.

8 Easy Steps to Take and Share a Screenshot

1. Windows key + Shift + S
2. Click and drag your mouse over the area you want to capture.
3. Windows key
4. Type “Paint”
5. Enter
6. Ctrl+V
7. Ctrl+Shift+X
8. Ctrl+S to save.

We hope you find this tip helpful! Be sure to keep visiting our blog for more of them in the future.

Back in 2022, Microsoft coined the term “productivity paranoia,” referring to the fears that many managers have that remote workers aren’t working to their full productivity. However, as remote and hybrid work has continued for many companies, a different form has emerged: the feeling a worker has that they have to prove they are still productive while working from home.

Here are some tips to share with your team, so they can use them to avoid these feelings.

Productivity Paranoia is a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

Let’s explore the phenomenon for a moment.

Let’s say that Jane Q. Public is one of those employees who has shifted to remote operations, and while it hasn’t impacted her productivity, she has heard that her bosses have been grumbling about “some people” working remotely not pulling their weight.

Uh oh. What if “some people” includes Jane? Suddenly, Jane feels super self-conscious about the work she’s doing and how her higher-ups are viewing her. These thoughts are pretty understandably distracting, and before long, she’s starting to feel pretty disengaged from the work she’s doing and burnt out.

When all is said and done, Jane ends up actually being unproductive, when she would have been fine otherwise… and it’s all because the idea that she wasn’t pulling her weight was introduced to her.

Putting a Plug in Productivity Paranoia

The truth is that everyone in an organization will have some part to play in terms of eliminating this toxicity.

Managers need to maintain open communications with their remote employees so that expectations can be established and progress can be evaluated. This will help them see the productivity that these employees can—and hopefully do—accomplish, and if they aren’t, they can more effectively address it. It also helps to establish career-based goals with your remote employees. What is it they want from their work? What would you like to see them accomplish? What would they like to see themselves doing in the future for the company?

As for your team members, they can come to these meetings with ideas ready to contribute. Furthermore, there are software tools that your team can use to keep track of their productivity more clearly, but these should be provided and managed by your company and its IT team.

Working together, you and your team members can come to an understanding and create a healthier working environment that ultimately gets more done.

Reach Out to Us for the Tools You Need

We help businesses around New York with the technology their operations demand, and we’d be happy to help you too! Give us a call at (516) 403-9001 to learn more!

One of the nice things about software platforms is how well the applications within them interact with one another. Take, for instance, the applications contained within Google Workspace.

Because of the interconnected nature of the Google Workspace platform, there’s a lot that the different programs can do in tandem. As an example, let’s consider how the word-processing application Google Docs can be used to generate events in the associated account’s Google Calendar.

How to Draft Calendar Events via Google Docs

First, you need to open up a new Google Doc. Under Insert, select Building blocks and then Calendar event draft. Alternatively, you can also use the “@” sign, typing “@calendar event draft” and pressing Enter.

You then have a few options to add people to your new event’s Guests field. You can once again use “@” and search through your contacts, or you can manually type out the appropriate email addresses. Add a title for your event, when it will start and end, where it will be, and a description, and you’re ready to send it over to the Calendar.

This is simple to do. In your calendar event draft, you’ll see the option to Send the event draft to the Calendar. You’ll have the option to make more changes in the Calendar window that appears in a new tab.

Once you’re finished, click Save.

Make sure you check back for more handy tips!

Whatever your industry, there are going to be processes that need to be followed, and this will require no small amount of organization to keep all the moving parts in tandem with each other. Fortunately, tools that can help with your project management needs are readily available, so long as you take advantage of their capabilities.

Take Google Sheets, for instance.

It’s true! Not only does Google Sheets offer fully customizable templates intended specifically for project management purposes, there are a lot of other features that are conducive to the kind of processes that should make up your project management activities.

For instance:

Google Sheets Allows You to Create Custom Dropdown Lists

With all the standard updates that proper project management will require—for instance, the status of certain goals and initiatives within your process—having the ability to select from a preconfigured list is hugely helpful. 

The existing templates that Sheets offers give you the opportunity to edit the drop-downs they come populated with. All you have to do is click the small downward arrow in the cell, select the pencil icon in the resulting menu, and edit the rules for the dropdown. For added visibility, you can even apply different colors to the different options. 

However, you won’t be able to add new options to your dropdowns or change the order in which they appear if using a preconfigured option. That will require you to create a dropdown menu from scratch. Once you’ve selected the cell or range of cells you want the dropdown to appear in, click Insert and then select Dropdown. A sidebar will appear for you to populate the data validation rules you want… or in other words, what options you want your dropdown menu to include. Once you’ve added and arranged your options, click Done to complete the process.

The Inherent Collaboration within Google Sheets Makes It Easier to Fully Plan a Project

Today’s workplace is increasingly built on collaborative work, which means that it is all the more important that the tools used therein are conducive to this kind of collaboration. Google Sheets, just as with the rest of the Google Workspace offering, is built to help you accomplish just that. Adding contributors to your spreadsheet is a simple matter… all you need to do is click the Share button at the top right of your page, select who you want to grant access to and specify the level of access and permissions you want to provide.

Once you’ve done so, others will be able to interact with a given Sheet at the level you have permitted them to—and you’ll still be able to adjust these permissions as needs change.

Google Sheets Allows You to Tag Your Collaborators

Google Sheets offers a feature called smart chips—small interactive widgets that can be embedded into your documents that link to pertinent information. You can tag different collaborators directly in the spreadsheet, and from there, email them, kick off a video chat, or (most applicable to our purposes today) assign a task to them.

We Can Help Outfit You with Proper Project Management Software, Too

Of course, you may prefer to use a dedicated software to help organize your company’s activities. Turning to us means you’ll have someone in the wings to help you procure, manage, and maintain all of the tools that your company uses.

Give us a call at (516) 403-9001 to learn more.

There are few technology solutions that have been as transformative and important for businesses as email. Unfortunately, however, it’s remarkably easy for a hacker to gain access to an email account to cause all kinds of chaos for a business. Let’s consider ways you can protect your business’ email accounts and, by extension, the rest of your organization’s infrastructure.

Use Strong Passwords

Your employees should always use strong passwords whenever possible, and they should consist of upper and lower-case letters, numbers, and symbols. Furthermore, they should be on the longer side and updated regularly, avoiding commonly-guessed dates like birthdays, anniversaries, or other information that might be found on social media.

Enable Multi-Factor Authentication

You shouldn’t rely on even the most complex passwords on their own. Instead, you can add an additional layer of security through the use of multi-factor authentication methods. These consist of codes sent to mobile devices or emails, as well as biometric tools. They are great in the event a hacker has guessed a password, as MFA will keep them locked out without the second credential.

Train Your Team on Phishing Awareness

Even educated users can fall victim to phishing attacks, which makes it all the more important for those who aren’t educated to get with the program. Teach your employees what to look for when they suspect that there is something wrong, and encourage them to check senders, review message content for spelling and grammar errors, and avoid attachments or links when there is any doubt. In other words, teach them that skepticism is critical to ensuring that your business doesn’t fall victim to phishing attacks.

Utilize Email Encryption

Businesses need encryption to keep their email safe, particularly where sensitive information is concerned. Without encryption for messages and attachments, emails could be intercepted and read by unauthorized parties, leading to hefty compliance and regulatory fines.

Update and Patch Your Systems

Your email system needs to be patched and updated regularly to ensure that it is protected from the latest threats. In this way, it’s no different from any other application your business uses. Proactive maintenance should be applied to guarantee it operates smoothly.

These tasks are important to ensure that your business can withstand the myriad of attacks that will strike your email system. Be ready today by contacting MSPNetworks at (516) 403-9001.

As much as we try to structure our productivity throughout the day, there are always those moments that seem to slip by—both at work and in our personal lives. It can be tough to find time to commit to projects whether your goal is personal or professional.

So, let’s go over some tips that help make this time easier to find. 

The Truth is, the Time is There… You Just Need to Be Ready for It

Most people underestimate the amount of time they actually have available to them—although, to be fair, this time is often hiding in plain sight. Do you find yourself sitting through a long bus trip to get to work, or relegated to the back seat in an uncomfortably silent carpool arrangement? When working from home, how much time do you spend in the morning waiting for your coffee maker of choice to produce your preferred cup (or pot, no judgment from me) of joe? 

The fact of the matter is that in these little moments we chalk up to time wasted, there’s the opportunity for productivity. Small as these moments may seem, nobody said that productive work has to be of a certain duration. By taking advantage of the spare moments before a meeting starts, or when your usual breakfast is cooking, or any other time that would otherwise be lost to the ether, you can accomplish that much more.

How often do you find yourself having some of your best ideas during these moments?

You Just Need to Be Ready for When These Moments Arise

By having the right tools and strategies prepared, you’ll be in a good position to take advantage of every spare moment. Chances are good that you regularly have access to a mobile device with some form of a note-taking app. Get in the habit of quickly typing up your ideas.

If you’d rather rely on a low-tech option, make sure you’re always carrying a pen with you. Everything from a receipt to a napkin can be used to quickly store a thought until you have the opportunity to more permanently record it.

Furthermore, it is important that you manage your expectations. It’s very unlikely that your quick notes will be an earth-shaking idea. Much more likely, it’ll just be the first draft of many ideas that eventually become a real strategy or initiative.

While We Can’t Give You the Inspiration You Need, We Can Give You the Tools You’ll Need to Act Upon It

Reach out to us to learn more about our IT services and support options, and how we can help you and your team accomplish more. Give us a call at (516) 403-9001 to get started.

When it comes to exclusive user features, one of the better-known ones on the Apple side of the house is FaceTime, a video chat platform. Apple has however made certain features of FaceTime available to Android users, but they come with a catch. Let’s go over how an iPhone user can FaceTime with an Android user, even if some of the features are not quite there.

It’s important to preface this blog by stating that Android users cannot initiate a FaceTime call. The user of the iPhone in question will have to start the call. Basically, what happens is that the Android user will use a specific link to join the FaceTime call in much the same way you would join any typical video conferencing call. Here’s how to get your link.

We’ll start from the iPhone user’s perspective to generate the link. They will have to go into the FaceTime application to select the option for Create Link. This will be available in the top-left menu. The user then sends the link to the Android smartphone. This can be done through text, email, or whatever other method you might use.

After the recipient has the link, they can use it to open the FaceTime web application on their device. Since it is a video call, know that it will need access to your microphone and camera in order to work properly. Once the user has added their name to the call, they can join by tapping on Continue.

Now that the Android user has gotten to this point, the iPhone user can see the option to accept or reject the call.

And now, the call can proceed as usual. The call works mostly the same way as your typical FaceTime call would, but with some feature limitations placed on the Android user. You should be able to enjoy your FaceTime calls no matter the device used by whoever is on the other end of the call!

Of course, FaceTime is far from a business-grade video chat platform, so if you’re using it to conduct business as usual, perhaps it’s time to invest in a video collaboration platform for your business instead. These platforms also won’t be nearly as restrictive or as limited by the type of device used by your workers, meaning that anyone can collaborate in the same way.

Hopefully you find this tip of some help. If you want additional assistance with collaboration platforms or further tips and tricks, be sure to call us at (516) 403-9001.

With the full power of Microsoft Excel at your disposal, you can accomplish a lot of great things and streamline your data management and analysis. However, it doesn’t take an Excel wizard to use today’s tip, which focuses on the Auto Filter feature built right into the program. Let’s look at how even this small feature can provide a lot of value for your business.

Why Use Auto Filter?

If you use Auto Filter, you can easily show or hide data in columns based on specific parameters. You can organize the content in each column alphabetically, for example, or you can show or hide values according to what you’re looking for. It’s helpful and easy to use, making it a high-value tool that can help you get more out of Excel without investing a lot of time or energy into learning how to use it.

How Can You Enable Auto Filter?

Enabling Auto Filter is easy; just go to the Data tab near the top of your screen and select the funnel-shaped icon labeled Filter. You’ll then see little drop-down arrows appear in each cell within the first row of your spreadsheet. This is a clear indicator that Auto Filter is now turned on and ready to be used.

The fun starts when you click on the arrow. A window will appear that shows what you can do with the filter. You can sort your columns alphabetically from A to Z or Z to A, by color of the text or cell, or by specific text parameters (for example, if you want to see specific values or omit others). It’s a wonderful little tool that can help you be much more efficient with your time during data analysis.

In this window, you’ll also see a scrolling window filled with individual values found in the identified column. If you click on the checkbox for each of these, you can either enable or disable it, thereby removing it temporarily from the spreadsheet so you can find what it is you’re truly looking for.

Before we leave you to your Excel fun, we want to share a quick differentiator between “sorting” your data and “filtering” your data, as they are two different things. Sorting your data will organize it in a specific way so you can read it more easily. Filtering data, however, will omit data that you don’t want to see so you can focus on what you’re really trying to find, see, or analyze. Using filters effectively can be incredibly helpful and empowering for any budding Excel user, and it can open the doors to more advanced use of the program.

We share technology tips like this all the time, so be sure to check back periodically for the latest and greatest tech tips!

It shouldn’t be a surprise to hear that the better your relationship is with your employees, the more your business will benefit. Despite this, many businesses today lack trust between their organizational levels. Let’s go over a few simple tips that you can use to help maintain positive feelings amongst your team.

Communicate

Just as in any relationship, cultivating a positive rapport with your team members is critical to making things copacetic in the workplace—even if that workplace is dispersed, as remote work is apt to do. Therefore, it is in your best interest to keep the lines of communication between you and your team members wide open, both in terms of the group and as individuals.

Not only should you ensure that there are plenty of opportunities for your team members to speak with you, you should encourage them to do so about a variety of topics, including non-work-related ones. Getting to know them on a more personal level and speaking to them from that perspective will not only give you the information to communicate more effectively, but will help encourage them to be more communicative.

Show Your Appreciation and Respect

Working for anyone, regardless of how nice they are, can be a lot to deal with at times, so make sure that you prioritize showing your employees your honest (and that honest part is key) appreciation for their efforts toward your business. Acknowledging their hard work is one of the simplest things you can do, but it can be the difference between an exhausted employee mentally checking out at 3:45 and an exhausted employee rallying and putting in their best effort to finish out the day strong.

On a related note, it is just as important to show your team members enough respect to hear their opinions and input, even if you disagree or there are reasons that their input wouldn’t work effectively. In fact, hear them out and acknowledge the valid points they make before sharing how circumstances might make them impractical.

Embrace Any Opportunity to Learn

Continuing this line of thought, you also need to acknowledge that the role of “boss” makes you the authority in the business’ concerns, but not necessarily the authority on all the goings-on in terms of its operations. There are going to be certain aspects where your employees do in fact know more and/or better than you do, and there’s always more information than any one person can keep up with. Acknowledging this is a good first step, and is best followed through actively trying to learn as much as you can.

Allow Autonomy

Finally, it is important that your team members have the freedom to conduct themselves as they see fit as they work to meet the goals you have set for them. Not only will this help them feel more trusted and validated in their input, it can often result in more effective outcomes in their tasks and ultimately for your business.

It’s on you to get the most out of your staff, but we can help you get the technology in place to make that easier. Give us a call at (516) 403-9001 today to learn more about how we can play several roles to help get your business where you want it to go.

Email groups are remarkably useful. Instead of sending a copy of an email to each individual recipient, you can effectively create a simple forum post that everyone can participate in—a feature that certainly helps when collaboration is a priority. Let’s go over how you can quickly and easily create a group in Gmail.

Step 1: Access Google Apps and Select Contacts

That’s right—this process isn’t even completed in Gmail. However, since you’re likely in the Gmail app, click into the App Launcher icon (colloquially, and arguably more correctly, known as the “waffle” icon) and access Google Contacts. A new window will open to the Google Contacts page.

In this new window, you’ll see the Google Contacts page, and if you click the three-bar menu, you’ll see a selection of tools and options.

Step 2: Create a Label

In these tools, you’ll see a Label option, and underneath that, the option to Create Label. Give it a name you will remember it by, and click Save. You now have a label, and it’s time to add some contacts to it.

Step 3: Add Some Contacts

You’ll see lists of your email contacts by selecting Frequently Contacted or Directory. Select whomever you want to include in a group, finally clicking the label icon at the top of the window. Confirm that the right label is selected, and select Apply. 

That’s it! Now, from Gmail, you can put the name you gave your label into the To field of any email you’re writing to send it to that group.

Hopefully, this will come in handy for you moving forward. Keep checking back for more handy IT tips, and if you want assistance in managing it all, give MSPNetworks a call at (516) 403-9001 to learn a bit more about what we do.

Anyone who wants to prioritize their privacy should be aware of the role the cache plays in such a thing. Your Google web browser—even on your smartphone—will store information about what you search so it can personalize your ads and recommendations, but if you would rather not have it do this all the time, you can clear your Android device’s Google search cache and set it up to auto-delete after a set amount of time has passed.

Manually Delete Your Google Search Cache

First, make sure your Android device is connected to your Google account. From your Android’s app drawer, open up the Google app. When the window opens, tap your profile image in the top-right corner. From here, you should see an option for Search history. Select which deletion option you would prefer from the list, keeping in mind that you might have to verify your identity before proceeding.

Once you have verified your identity, you should see the Delete drop-down menu unlock. In addition to the default 15 minutes, there are options for today, custom range, or all time, so pick the one that best suits your needs.

Set Up Auto-Delete

If you’d rather not mess with manual deletion, you can set your cache to automatically delete after a set amount of time has passed. You’ll see on the above drop-down menu that, under Auto-delete, it says Off by default. You can change this by tapping on the option and adjusting a couple of settings.

After you tap Auto-delete, you’ll be brought to another page where you can set the cache to Auto-delete activity older than a set amount of time. There are options under the drop-down menu for three months, 18 months, or 36 months. Tap Next and confirm your choice to complete the process.

Privacy is a serious challenge for both individuals and businesses, which is why we like to bring you tips that help you get the most out of your technology, be they consumer or otherwise. To learn more about how you can make the most out of technology for your business, be sure to contact MSPNetworks at (516) 403-9001.

We are always writing about how useful technology is, but it’s surprising how little even the most committed techie knows about the options that are available to them. In this week’s blog we decided to go through three features in the Windows OS that can be a big help. 

Built-in Dictation

One tip that not many people know about is the built-in dictation feature in the newer versions of the Windows operating system. All you need to do is type Windows key + H. This will open the dictation toolbar. This allows you to use speech to fill out any text field inside of windows.

Focus Assist

With so many distractions it's not a surprise that we keep getting interrupted from our work. Notifications are built-in to almost every app, and they can be a little much sometimes. Windows offers the Focus Assist feature that will work to keep you focused and on track. 

Simply go to Settings > System > Focus Assist.

Once open, you can configure the software to automatically turn on during certain times. In the Focus Assist settings you can fully customize the priority of the notifications so that important messages come through but that notification from Amazon about the tent you want to buy can be tabled for later. 

Use Multiple Desktops

One really neat feature that Microsoft has rolled out over the past few iterations of Windows is the multiple desktop feature. It allows users to separate whole projects from one another and allow them to move between them seamlessly. 

To access this feature you can right-click on the taskbar and go to Taskbar Settings. Once there you need to toggle on the Task view option. This will create a Task view icon just to the right of the start icon on the taskbar. Push it and you can create a whole new desktop environment (with its own background) to help keep your work organized.

Windows has long been one of the most important business tools and with Windows 10 and Windows 11, Microsoft has created operating systems filled with cool features and resources. If you want to learn more great tips and tricks, visit our blog again soon.

Setting up a router used to be a much more complex process than it is today. Thankfully, innovations in the technology have made it simpler and easier for consumers and businesses alike to do, to the point where some Internet service providers just let users do it themselves with guided instructions. Let’s go over how you can get the most out of your wireless router.

Place Your Router in a High-Up, Unobstructed, and Centralized Location

The placement of your router is crucial to your organization getting the most out of it, and it’s mostly because of how Wi-Fi signals work. These signals ripple out from the device, radiating outward from the central location and growing weaker in the process. You should keep it centralized to make the signal reach all parts of your office.

To help the signal along, you also need to make sure that it’s not blocked by anything by keeping a clear line of sight between the router and your devices. Thus, keeping it elevated and out in the open rather than a cabinet or a closet is the best way to go here.

Update Your Router and Its Firmware with Patches

Your router is an easy-to-overlook technology that, while not as complex or dynamic as a computer, still runs on software and, thus, requires patches to stay secure and operational. Outdated security protocols could make your wireless network vulnerable, and outdated firmware might mean that your router is simply not performing as well as it could be. If you want to get the most out of your wireless technology, then keeping your router updated is crucial.

Keep Separate Connections for Personal Devices

You’ll want to keep your personal devices off of your business network, mostly because you don’t want guests and visitors using bandwidth that your employees should be using. Furthermore, letting anyone access your network can be considered a security risk, and limiting who can access your business’ network can be a good step toward keeping it secure.

MSPNetworks can help you set up a wireless network that aids your company’s efforts at success. To learn more, call us today at (516) 403-9001.

It probably isn’t hard to think of a time when you’ve stumbled across something that would be useful for work while you were doing some personal browsing. What if I told you there was an easy way to send a website to your browser to view later? Thanks to Google Chrome, this is the case.

Let’s discuss how you can use Chrome’s multi-platform nature to your advantage to access the same web page on different devices.

Chrome Users Have a Few Options to Push Web Pages Between Devices

First off, simply being signed into the same Chrome account gives you the option to access a page from your history, as activity from all devices will be tracked. All you have to do is access Chrome and open History by pressing Ctrl+H when using a computer, or accessing Recent tabs from the three-dot menu in the Chrome mobile application.

If you’re in the process of reading something, however, and want to proactively have it ready on another device to continue viewing it, Chrome also supports this. When using the desktop, there’s a small icon in the address bar that looks like a corner with an arrow emerging from it. Clicking this icon, or alternatively right-clicking on the browser tab’s title will give you the ability to Send to your devices, with a list of all devices you’re signed into appearing for you to select from. If you’re on an Android device, access the three-dot menu and select the Share option. You’ll be provided a variety of options, including one to Send to your devices.

We’re committed to doing anything we can to help make your time in the office easier, whether it's through tips like this or through our comprehensive IT services. Learn more about the latter by giving us a call at (516) 403-9001 today!

Passwords are just one part of a comprehensive security strategy, but they are a crucial one. You must make sure that you are investing adequate time and effort into making sure your passwords are secure. This is easier said than done, but by the end of today’s short blog article, you’ll have all the information you need to craft excellent passwords for your accounts.

What Are Some Password Best Practices?

In a list format, we have put together some password best practices for your review:

• Use complex strings of characters: Your passwords should consist of both upper and lower-case letters, numbers, and special characters.
• The longer, the better: If you have more characters in your password, there are more opportunities for a hacker to get it wrong. Your passwords should be easy to remember, but hard to guess.
• Opt for passphrases rather than passwords: To make your passwords easier to remember, you can use a passphrase. The passphrase is basically an upgraded password variant that is harder to guess, but easier to remember. For example, if you were to use a favorite ’80s movie, you might pull a famous line from the movie along with the title and tie it together. For example, if your favorite movie of all time is Short Circuit, you might make your passphrase Sh0rtCIRCUIT#5isALIVE!86
• Use different passwords for each account: You should be using different passwords for each of your accounts, just in case one of them gets stolen. After all, if you use the same password for every account, you’ll have to change every single one of them anyway.

With these practices, you can make more complex and secure passwords. In addition to these practices, you can consider some of the following to make using them easier and more efficient.

What Else Can You Do to Protect Your Online Accounts?

To capitalize on the benefits of password security for your business, we recommend that you take things just a hair further with additional policies and technology solutions. We recommend multi-factor authentication and password management solutions to get the most out of your password and authentication policies.

With multi-factor authentication, you can use additional authentication protocols alongside passwords to maximize security. Your average multi-factor authentication tool will utilize two of the three methods: something you are (biometrics), something you have (smartphone, USB key), or something you know (a password, PIN, or passphrase).

In comparison, password management tools take what you have applied to your password security and make them that much easier to manage. Password managers store your passwords in an encrypted database where they are protected by a master password. You can then call the passwords as they are needed when you access your accounts. Password managers often have the capabilities to generate passwords for you, just in case you need some help with your complex passwords. It makes using complex passwords and passphrases that much easier.

MSPNetworks is here to help outfit your business with the security and productivity tools it needs. Give us a call at (516) 403-9001 to learn more.

Modern mobile devices are a bit of a double-edged sword for today’s businesses: on the one hand, they are critical for the productivity that is required of today’s organizations, but on the other, they also come with the very real chance of security issues. The permissions you give (or don’t) to these applications can have an impact on this risk.

Let’s take a few moments to discuss how you can manage these permissions to minimize the potential danger your Android applications might introduce to your business.

How to Manage Android App Permissions

In order to properly manage your Android permissions, it helps to know how the applications work. As a rule, any application needs to have permissions granted to it. This is what happens when you first start up a newly-installed application. Let’s say you’ve downloaded the latest hot social media application that enables photo-sharing. When first opened, the app will present you with a permissions request to access different areas of the device—in this case, your media library, camera, and the photos you’ve stored on the device.

You can then decide if and when an application is able to access the requested data or hardware on your device. For instance, in the above example, you could dictate that the new social media app can only access the camera when you are actively using the app. You can even limit these permissions to a single-use basis.

These kinds of permissions can be managed through the Settings app, which can be found in both your list of applications and in the menu that appears when you swipe down on your display (look for the gear-shaped icon). Once you’re in your settings, navigate to the Apps section.

Once there, you’ll see a list of your applications, which you may need to expand to see the full contents. Select the app you want to adjust the permissions of and select Permissions. You’ll then be presented with the permissions that can be granted to the application, including what you have already selected. Changing this selection is as simple as tapping on the option you want to use instead.

Alternatively, you can adjust your permissions en masse by instead navigating to Privacy in your Settings and from there selecting Permission Manager. This will give you a list of permissions and the applications that have them granted. From there, you can select an application and disable these permissions.

For Improved Control, Mobile Device Management Can Help

In terms of your business’ mobile device infrastructure, more control is better, which is what makes a mobile device management solution such a valuable inclusion in your IT. An MDM solution gives you greater visibility into how your organization is putting mobile devices to use while in the workplace. It also gives you the ability to manage the permissions that each user has for the various applications they’ll need, as well as other features, such as marking different apps as safe or excluded and the capability to remotely wipe said device.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to us for assistance in implementing mobile device management into your business. Give us a call at (516) 403-9001 to learn more.

Updating your technology is one business task that needs to happen if you want to optimize your operations. Some companies, however, still rely on legacy systems that could be holding them back from peak performance. It’s difficult to update legacy systems without comprehensive IT knowledge and proficiency, which is why you have us!

Defining Legacy Systems

When discussing legacy systems, it’s important to remember that the definition extends beyond “old.” Legacy refers to the fact that the technology is holding your company back, preventing it from growing or adapting to new circumstances. In many cases, the software is incompatible with the rest of your infrastructure and often does more harm than good by remaining on your infrastructure.

Sometimes the legacy system might even lack appropriate support and maintenance, something which impacts your ability to add it to new systems or improve your user experience.

All of this said, legacy systems are critical for many companies, so the updates are no less necessary for these organizations. This is why legacy systems need to be modernized, which is the act of replacing them with a solution that offers a better value proposition.

How Should You Approach Your Legacy System Modernization?

Legacy systems modernization requires that you follow these simple practices:

• Consider more than just your system: How will your employees and processes be impacted by this change to your infrastructure? Be sure to keep them in the loop to optimize your modernization’s chances of being successful. Be sure to spend some time with your employees to discuss the challenges they might need help addressing throughout the process, as well as what might need to be done moving forward.
• Take your time: There’s no need to jump on the modernization train for ALL of your technology all at once. If you don’t focus on specific parts of your infrastructure one at a time, you risk spreading yourself too thin. Plus, it’s easier to tackle one thing at a time so as not to disrupt all of your processes.
• Identify and address issues with technology: Be sure to consider the many issues your business faces, then implement technology to address them. Business technology solutions are so advanced these days that there is a solution for just about any issue your organization could face.
• Think about simplicity and agility: Finally, it’s critical that you plan your process out so that there is a level of flexibility packed into it. It could save you a considerable amount of time and resources moving forward.

It’s inevitable that your technology will “age out,” so to speak, but you don’t have to helplessly stand by while it happens. Get in touch with MSPNetworks today to determine what you need to do to resolve your company’s legacy technology challenges.