Installing antivirus software and setting strong passwords are no longer considered the bare minimum in cybersecurity. With hackers, third parties, and ISPs constantly monitoring networks and your online habits, hopping onto a virtual private network (VPN) is crucial for keeping your surfing habits private.

Microsoft and Google have been competing on almost every front. Both have made huge strides in machine learning, cloud computing, and productivity software. In terms of VoIP solutions, the tech powerhouses are also neck and neck with Microsoft’s Skype for Business and Google’s Hangouts Meet.

For companies using Office 365, managers have a convenient tool available for them to assess their employees’ performance. It’s called Workplace Analytics, and it uses the data culled from Office 365. Microsoft’s previous productivity tool, MyAnalytics, only allowed employees to view their own productivity data.

Running a business and fending off competitors is tough enough, but mounting threats to your company’s data and processes make everything more difficult. How can one cope with more sophisticated malware and complex government regulations that add costs to operations? And how can a small- to medium-sized business (SMB) navigate the sea of solutions that’s as broad in choices as it is deep in technical jargon?

SMBs can begin by raising their awareness of the current and foreseeable landscape.

We all want to become more productive. Business gurus always emphasize the importance of time management and taking breaks to avoid burnout. But aside from motivating yourself to work more efficiently, there are plenty of tools that increase your daily output.

Automating business processes is a necessity for most organizations. While the human element is still important, automation increases time to market and saves money. And because telecom is an essential part of businesses’ operations, AI developers are introducing advances in VoIP telephony that will take automation to a whole new level.

If you’re an Office 365 subscriber, you’re in for some souped-up enhancements. Most involve artificial intelligence (AI) making sense of your data for you, so you spend less time and effort manually processing it. Here are a few of the latest enhancements that’ll give you more time for value-added tasks (and for coffee breaks and power naps, too).
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Write and draw with digital ink
Typing is easy on desktops and laptops, but when you’re on touch-enabled devices, keyboards are cumbersome to use, whether they are extra hardware or as space invaders on your screen.

A password policy designed for federal agencies must be secure, right? Surprisingly, that hasn’t been the case, according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The NIST created many of the password best practices you probably loathe — the combination of letters, numbers, and special characters — but it now says those guidelines were misguided and has changed its stance on the matter.

Personal data is collected from us all the time. eCommerce sites store our purchasing habits info to push products we’re most likely to buy. Healthcare organizations collect everything from our vital signs to our treatment histories so that practically any physician in any facility can know critical details about our health, such as drug allergies.

We are taught never to judge a book by its cover. But in this superficial age, looks are everything, especially for websites. Your website is a customer’s first impression of your business, and if it doesn’t wow them, you’re losing money. Follow these best practices so you don’t end up in that situation.