How many new technologies did your business adopt last year? Too many? Too few? You’ve officially made it through 2017 and there’s no better time than now to review which IT fads were worth investing in, and which ones should be left in the past.

Gone are the days when you have to spend a large amount of money each month on the telephone bill. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology has made it cheaper -- and in most cases, free -- to place and receive calls. Whether you’re a business owner or an individual user, there is a VoIP option that suits you.

With the end of 2017 approaching fast, this is when your company, more than any other time of the year, needs to be able to provide quick and efficient service. Even if you’re tempted to indulge in the festivities, it’s still vital to take care of clients as quickly as possible.

Despite being late to the group chat scene, Microsoft Teams is equipped with a handful of features and impressive integration that set it apart from its competitors. So if you’re already subscribed to Office 365, here’s how you can take Teams to the next level.

Just when you thought cyber criminals couldn’t get smarter, along comes a new scamming technique. Previously used for safeguarding browsing activity, encryption tools are now used by hackers in carrying out phishing scams. This means some fraudulent sites may have HTTPS on their address, giving users a false sense of security.

In today’s competitive business arena, the little things are what distinguish your company from the crowd. And you have to compete against not only local competitors, but also larger firms with a regional or even national presence.

This leaves you with little room for error.

Whether it be cloud, mobile, or on-premises, every technology you use stores certain confidential data that are accessed by your employees. So how do you guarantee the safety of said data from cyber threats like identity theft, phishing attacks and more? IAM is the answer.

According to several experts, Voice over IP (VoIP) phone systems are one of the top investments businesses make, and for good reason. The ability to call anyone from anywhere with an internet connection gives employees lots of flexibility. And with 2018 just around the corner, there will be new VoIP developments to look forward to.

Over 330 million consumers connected with small businesses via Facebook Messenger in 2017 alone, so it's evident that the ‘phone call’ era is coming to a close. Since consumers now want constant, immediate online connectivity with their local car dealership, pizza joint, and other local businesses, it is only fitting that Facebook Messenger’s latest feature grants consumers even more flexibility in how they contact their local business.

Despite Microsoft Office’s easy-to-use interface, mastering all the features in this suite of productivity tools requires time. But fret not, the following training videos will help you become a Microsoft Office expert fast.

Office Basics is a series of free Office training videos from Microsoft which cover different features and functionality.