Tip of the Week: Easily Close Browser Tabs
For this week’s tip we tell you how to close all tabs in a browser quickly.
It’s easy to open up far more tabs on your web browser than you need, especially when so many tools are cloud-based. If you find yourself in need of a quick way to close all other tabs besides a handful or so, we’ve got just the tip for you. You can close all open tabs to the right of your preferred window, or you can close all tabs outright.
Close All Other Tabs
If you have one specific page that you want to remain open, then it’s very easy to close all other tabs that you have open. All you have to do is right-click on your chosen tab and select the option for Close Other Tabs. You’ll notice that all other tabs will close, leaving you with just your chosen tab open.
Close Tabs to the Right
If you want to leave multiple tabs open, however, you can do this pretty easily, too. You can close all tabs to the right of your chosen tab. Just take a moment to organize your tabs so that all the ones you want to close are on the right side of any particular tab. To close them all out, right-click on the chosen tab and select Close Tabs to the Right. All tabs to the right side of this tab will close out. Pretty handy, huh?
Sometimes it’s the little tips that make a big difference in the way you go about the workday, and this one can potentially save you loads of time and frustration. For more great tips and tricks, keep your eyes on our blog feed.
Â
Tip of the Week: Reopening Closed Chrome Tabs and Windows
How often does this scenario happen to you? You’re going about your workday and are being quite productive, when all of a sudden you close the wrong tab in your web browser, putting an end to your productivity. This isn’t crippling downtime or anything, but it’s an inconvenience that we know you can do without. Thankfully, modern web browsers let you reopen closed tabs or windows to get back to where you left off.
How to Reopen a Closed Tab or Window in Google Chrome
For the purposes of this tutorial, we’ll use Google Chrome for our examples, but know that the other popular web browsers have similar functionality, and the process is similar if not identical to perform the same tasks.
First, close out one of your other web browsers. Go ahead, do it. We’re confident you can get it back, as long as you’re not filling out a form or there is other sensitive content on it that must be re-entered. After you’ve closed the tab or window, right-click the Plus icon as if you were going to open a new tab. You’ll see an option for Reopen Closed Tab. This will reopen the last closed tab, just like it says. You can even do this multiple times for multiple tabs, too.
For a quick reference, you can use the keyboard shortcut as well: Ctrl + Shift + T.
Reopen a Closed Window in Google Chrome
But what if you accidentally close the entire window without realizing it? Thankfully, Chrome has functionality for this, too, and it’s just as simple. Go ahead and open up a new window for testing purposes. Next, close out of it by clicking on the X button in the top right corner of the window. Go back to your current browsing session and right-click the tab bar at the top of your screen. If the last thing you closed was a different window, you’ll see the option for Reopen Closed Window. Go ahead and click it. Your closed window should reappear.
The keyboard shortcut for this is just as easy: Ctrl + Shift + W.
That’s all there is to it! It’s a simple but helpful tip to be just a little more productive with your day.
What other tips would you like to see us write about on our blog? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to subscribe.
Â
Hundreds of Applications Could Potentially Expose Data Through Basic Errors
At the beginning of September, it was revealed that a relatively simple issue existed in nearly 2,000 mobile applications that potentially exposed some (read: a lot of) sensitive data. Let’s take a brief, basic look at the situation to see if there are any lessons that can apply to your business.
Trust us, there will be.
In Essence, the Issue is One of Access Permissions
Let’s go over how these apps generally work.
Naturally, the apps that you use on your phone aren’t fully hosted on your device. Instead, they are commonly hosted in cloud services. In theory, the application you install effectively just contains hardcoded access credentials that allow you to access the data or the service that the application provides.
Notice that we said, in theory. Research conducted by Broadcom’s Symantec Threat Hunter team revealed that these purportedly single-purpose logins were able to access all of the files that a cloud service contained—including company data, backups of databases, and system controls.
Worse, if multiple apps included the same publicly available software development kits (SDKs) or were created by a single company, these login credentials could potentially grant access to numerous applications, exposing the infrastructure and user data of each.
So, let’s say that an attacker happened to obtain these access tokens. With the situation being the way it is, that would give the attacker access to all of the applications—and more critically, the user data these applications contain—that the access tokens granted access to.
Between the Android and iOS platforms, researchers found almost 2,000 applications that had their credentials hard-coded to Amazon Web Services—three-quarters of those granting access to private cloud services (and half of those granting access to private files), with about half containing access tokens found in completely unrelated applications.
So, What Does This Have to Do With Your Business?
Let me ask you something: who in your business could potentially access your payroll information, your employees’ private information, or all the financial data you’ve collected from your clientele and workforce alike?
This idea that certain information is accessible by those who shouldn’t have access to it is the crux of the issue. You need to ensure that your data and files are only accessible to those who need them for their work responsibilities. This is known as the principle of least privilege—basically, all access and information are distributed on a need-to-know basis, based on the responsibilities of the individual users.
In short, much like these applications should have been doing, you need to ensure that access to this data is locked down. We can help.
Give us a call at 651-234-0895 to learn more about how we can help you.
Tip of the Week: Keep Your Computer Working Effectively with These 5 Tips
Computers allow businesses to do so much, but eventually a time comes to purchase new hardware. Thankfully, you can stave off this need pretty well by simply taking care of your existing technology. Here are some tips you can implement to make sure that your computer lasts as long as possible before it kicks the bucket.
#1 – Keep Your Hardware and Software Updated (All of It)
Some folks are using the same old tired technology that they were using a decade ago, and the reason they have been able to do so is because they take care of keeping all their hardware and software updated. Some users may have updated their computer from their old hard disk drive to a solid-state drive or added additional RAM, but for the most part, the big reason why their device is operationally sound is because they have kept updating software to keep up with the times. With the software as updated as possible, less strain is placed on the computing resources.
#2 – Keep Your Hardware Clean
It’s easy to think that buying a new computer will solve your problems when you don’t take care of your current technology, but know that you’ll just encounter the same problem when you don’t take care of the new technology, too. Computers are machines, after all, and they have a lot of intricate parts that require a clean environment. Naturally a computer will not work well if crumbs get in the keyboard or dust builds up inside, so make sure you take measures to periodically clean your PC so that it’s not a complete mess.
#3 – Buy Protection
Taking care of your computer’s physical wellbeing is incredibly important, especially for a laptop that is on the move all the time. Consider purchasing a nice padded carrying case that can keep your computer safe while in motion. For a desktop user, a surge protector is also a must, as it protects you from unexpected surges and provides even more utility thanks to the extra plugs. As for mobile devices, you have cases that can keep them dust and water-resistant.
#4 – Keep Your Antivirus Running
You should frequently run a virus scan on your device, even when you are away from it. There are countless issues that could occur with your device, and the best way to identify them is to run an antivirus scan on your device. With a centralized antivirus program on your network, you should be able to identify and remove malware on your endpoints.
#5 – Don’t Treat it Like a Light Switch
If you constantly turn your device on and off, you will run into problems with your components in the long term. While it might seem beneficial to save the electricity and conserve the battery life, ask yourself if it really saves so much that it is worth replacing your entire device in the near future. Naturally, the answer is no, so don’t treat your technology like it’s a light switch.
Hopefully you can put these tips into practice and preserve your technology a little bit longer. Point North Networks can also aid in this effort with our managed IT solutions. To learn more, reach out to us at 651-234-0895.
Tip of the Week: Maneuvering Around Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is a video communication and collaboration platform that your organization can use to great success, but it helps to have a couple of pointers so you can make the most out of the software. Here are five ways you can maximize the value you get out of your Microsoft Teams software.
If you don’t already use Teams, you can think of it like this: it’s similar to other services out there, like Slack and Discord, in that it gives you access to various channels for communication through a variety of mediums, like video, instant messaging, voice chat, and so on. Knowing how to get the most out of Teams means maximizing your use of these features and using them to their fullest potential.
Pin Important Messages
While you are chatting with your team or coworkers in Teams, you might notice recurring themes in your conversations. If you think something is important enough to keep at the top of the conversation at all times, you can pin that message to the top by clicking on the pin icon. This will keep it in place so that everyone who opens the chat will see that message first. All you have to do is click the three-dot symbol on a message and select Pin.
Tag Someone in Conversations
Sometimes you really need someone to chime in and contribute to the conversation. In cases like this, you can use the @ symbol to tag someone in the conversation. This will send the user a notification that you have tagged them in the chat and are hoping they will respond. It’s not the best or most perfect way to convince someone to contribute, but it at least lets them know you want them to see the message.
Organize Your Teams Into… Well, Teams (And Channels)
Teams operates on the premise that your communications are segmented into various “teams,” or specific places dedicated to collaboration for various groups of employees or departments. You should have your Teams set up so that each department has their own dedicated space to collaborate as needed. These Teams can be further split into Channels for specific purposes, all of which can be customized according to what your needs are. For example, you might have a Team set up for human resources where only your HR staff are allowed to chat or view the messages within, or the same could be said for the executives within your company. Be sure to control permissions for these Teams and Channels as needed.
Connect Teams to Other Office Applications
As a Microsoft software solution, Teams integrates quite well with other Microsoft tools. For example, it can connect and sync to OneDrive and OneNote, which is helpful for when you need to share files with others within your organization. Furthermore, you can add files and other documents directly to your various Teams and Channels so that users in those Teams or Channels have access to them quickly and efficiently. It’s a great way to make sure everyone has access to the information they need to be successful and productive throughout the workday.
To learn more about how you can utilize Teams as best you can, reach out to us at 651-234-0895.
Â
Tip of the Week: Using Your Voice to Type in Microsoft Word
Typing on your keyboard is something that you do every day, but sometimes you just don’t want to do it. You can give your hands a break and use Microsoft Word’s dictation feature; this lets you use your voice to write in the software. Let’s go over how you might use the feature on a desktop, web browser, or mobile device.
On Your Desktop Application
If you use Microsoft Word on your desktop or a laptop, you can use the built-in dictation feature. From the Home tab, click on the Dictate button. It is the blue microphone in the top-right corner. You can then click on the gear icon to adjust the settings as needed. Some of these settings include auto-punctuation, language filtering, and dialect. You can use the pause or unpause buttons to take a break when needed. There is also a guide available to show you how to do things like add punctuation.
On the Browser Version of Word
The browser version of Word is exactly the same as the desktop version; you just go to the Home tab and use the Dictate button. The settings are mostly the same, too, so just follow the directions as they appear in the previous paragraph. You can click the X to close out of dictation.
On Your Mobile Device
The mobile application version of MS Word gives you an easy-to-use button just above the keyboard for dictation. You’ll see a microphone on it. The same features as outlined above work here in the same way. To stop dictation, click on the keyboard icon that will take the place of the dictation button.
Sure enough, it’s easy to use the dictation feature, and that’s probably by design. However, we do want to make sure you are aware that you should be proofreading your work, as anything voice-related can be somewhat unreliable on its own.
For even more great tips and tricks, subscribe to our blog.
Â
Tip of the Week: 3 Things You Can Do to Keep Your Business’ IT More Secure
With many businesses’ increased reliance on their information systems and other IT, they need to do everything they can to keep those systems up and running and secure. This not only includes rolling out security systems that support that goal, it also demands they take the action necessary to keep these systems secure. Let’s look at four things you need to do to keep your business’ IT as secure as possible.
Promote Strong Password Practices
Many users are just not as savvy as most organizations need them to be about their passwords. In fact, many of the most popular passwords used today are still “password” and “123456”. Even if your people are more deliberate about their password practices, many of them choose passwords that could be easily guessed if someone had knowledge about that person’s personal life. This can be a major detriment to any organization’s attempts to keep their IT secure. Here are some tips that you can use to create strong and reliable passwords:
Password Length
It stands to reason that longer passwords are harder to guess than shorter ones. It’s been proven that passwords that are at least 12 characters long are more apt to be secure than not. The problem with longer passwords is that they are more easily forgotten and result in significant downtime. A good strategy is to create easy-to-remember passphrases with random words and a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols. For example a password of “elephantredfootball” will usually be secure, but one that is written: “3l3ph@ntr3df00tb@ll” is even more secure.
Unique Passwords
Lots of people will use the same password for every account. This couldn’t be more dangerous. Think about it, if you use the same password everywhere and one account is cracked, you are looking at a situation where every account where you use that password is now compromised.
Use Software Tools
There are plenty of tools designed to help people keep their accounts safe. Password managers can be a good resource for people who use long or randomly-generated passwords. These platforms use encryption to ensure that all login and passwords are secure and can cut down on password-related problems that can cause downtime and unwanted IT support costs. Another tool that can help organizations keep their accounts secure is multi-factor authentication. Most platforms will provide options that will add an additional layer of security in the ways of an authentication code sent through an authentication app or separate email or text message. In using randomly-generated codes from a multi-factor authentication system, you can do more to ensure that the people who access your organization’s network-attached files and cloud services are authorized to do so.
Train Your Staff
One of the biggest issues for organizational IT security has to be threats coming in from outside your organization. These typically come in the form of phishing attacks. A phishing attack can come in on any platform including phone, email, text message, or even social media. There are over three billion phishing emails sent every day, and that isn’t even taking into account all the other attack vectors. These messages come in with the intention of getting an unwitting or distracted employee to engage with it. Once this happens, nothing good comes of it. Scammers will use this social engineering technique to gain access to protected accounts, deploy malware of all types, and disrupt an organization’s workflow. This is why it is imperative to train your staff on how to identify phishing attacks and what to do when they inevitably encounter one.
The phishing message will typically look like it comes from a person or organization that has some semblance of authority. Scammers like to develop subterfuges acting as financial institutions, insurance companies, even executives and managers inside a company. Many will ask recipients to click on a hyperlink or download an attachment. Either action could be dire for an organization’s technology. Let’s look at some variables of phishing messages that ever organization needs to train their employees on:
Demand Immediate Action
Most phishing attacks are structured to create fear and anxiety in the recipient. This typically will get people to make impulsive decisions. The best action is to verify any suspicious action before interacting with any messages like this.
Include Unprofessional Spelling Errors and Grammatical Faux Pas
Many phishing messages are developed by people whose first language isn’t the recipient’s language and include demands, spelling errors, and grammatical errors that no professional correspondence would include.
Come From Unrecognizable Accounts
Many phishing messages may initially look legitimate when you look at the account it comes from. The more legitimate these messages seem the more effective they are. Consider the email address or account these messages come from before clicking on any links or downloading anything from the email.
Keep Your Software Updated
Phishing may get most of the attention, but one of the most used attack vectors by hackers is infiltrating networks through software vulnerabilities. Most enterprise software is continuously being developed to ensure that it is a secure product. If an organization doesn’t have a patch management program where their applications are updated regularly, hackers can use any software vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized access and wreak havoc on their network.
If your organization uses a lot of applications, it may seem like keeping everything patched is a full-time job. That’s why using automation to ensure new patches are added regularly is important. You will also want to test every patch to ensure that your software solutions function as designed. This includes frequently updating antivirus tools, firewalls, and spam filters.
There are plenty of solutions and strategies that you can use to keep your business’ network and data secure. If you would like to have a conversation about cybersecurity and how to deploy some tools and strategies that can work to that end, give Point North Networks, Inc., a call today at 651-234-0895.
Tip of the Week: Import Your Bookmarks in Chrome
Bookmarks are an essential part of being productive with your Internet browser, but what happens when you switch to a different one, like Google Chrome? Do you have to manually add all of your bookmarks back to the browser? Nope! Let’s go over how you can import your bookmarks directly to Google Chrome and save some time.
Add Bookmarks from Other Web Browsers
Before proceeding, know that you need to have your previous browser installed on the device if you want to import bookmarks from it.
Chrome gives you the capability to directly import bookmarks from other web browsers. You can do so by clicking on the three-dot icon in the top-right corner of the web browser. From here, select Bookmarks > Import Bookmarks and Settings. From here, click on Import and select the browser you want to import from, as well as the Favorites/Bookmarks option from the checklist. After you see the blue checkmark on the screen, click on Done.
Add Bookmarks from an Exported HTML File
If you have exported your bookmarks as a HTML file, you can import them through the same process as outlined above. Instead of selecting the browser you want to import from, simply select Bookmarks HTML file. From here, just select the file that you want to import and you should be all set.
Sync Bookmarks Across Devices
The previously mentioned methods only work for your desktop version of Google Chrome, so you’ll have to sync your bookmarks if you want them on your mobile device. To do this, make sure you are logged into the same Google account on both devices, then click on the three-dot icon in the top-right corner of Chrome. From here, select Settings. If you want to sync only bookmarks, disable the slider and check the box for Bookmarks.
We hope you found this tip helpful; be sure to subscribe to our blog for even more great tips.
Â
Tip of the Week: Stop Overworking from Home
It’s quite possible for employees to overwork themselves, even in a remote environment. Let’s take a look at some ways that you can minimize remote overwork for your employees, especially as the boundaries typically set in place by the morning commute are eroded and work/life balance blurs.
First Off: Yes, Overwork is an Issue
Countless issues and workplace challenges have bubbled to the surface in recent years, including others that are much more divisive, like wage inequality and racial imbalances. However, these issues are much greater and more difficult to address in this format, and overwork presents a different challenge to overcome.
Overwork is a very real issue that can impact your organization in several different ways. Employees can grow fatigued, anxious, and physically ill with symptoms like headaches, pain, and vision problems. Too much remote work can also impact interpersonal communications. Add in the emotional stress and pressure caused by the pandemic and you have many employees walking around like ticking time bombs. All of this can create the perfect storm for destroying even the best worker’s productivity and performance.
The question must be asked, what can we do to help reduce overwork?
How to Help Diminish Remote Overwork
You might not be able to visit each of your workers individually, but you can implement policies that can keep them from overworking themselves in general, and it all starts by thinking about things not in terms of remote work policies, but in-house and remote policies.
1. Support the Use of a Schedule
We are not talking about just setting up a schedule outlining work hours; we also mean that you should help them to establish a workday routine that is manageable. Be sure to emphasize the importance of starting and ending the workday at consistent and appropriate times, and try to reinforce this consistency whenever you can. This helps to prevent employee burnout and overwork.
2. Use Time Tracking Tools
Time-tracking tools can help your team and keep them from overworking themselves, as you can take a look at where all of their time is being spent at a glance. A visual reminder of where they are in their seemingly-endless pile of tasks can be immensely helpful. COMPANYNAME can help you implement a time-tracking tool that will help your team stay on task and keep them from working themselves into the ground.
3. Encourage Your Team to Speak Up
Finally, you should empower your team to speak up if they feel their work requirements are becoming unreasonable. If they feel like they are overburdened or afraid to say no to more work, you need to know. Make sure they are comfortable coming to you about any concerns they might have so that you can address the issue at its roots without making it worse.
Point North networks, Inc., can help your team implement the tools it needs to succeed. To learn more, reach out to us at 651-234-0895.
Tip of the Week: The ABCs of Windows Shortcuts
Windows has no shortage of capabilities to offer its users, with many of these tools coming with an associated Windows shortcut. Since keeping track of all of them can be a challenge, we wanted to assemble a list of most of them for you. This blog will serve as that list, so make sure you add it to your browser’s favorites for quick reference!
Let’s get into it.
The ABCs of Windows Shortcuts
Naturally, almost every letter of the alphabet on the keyboard has a shortcut assigned to it:
- WinKey + A opens your Action Center.
- WinKey + B highlights your notification area.
- WinKey + C launches Cortana in listening mode.
- WinKey + D toggles Show Desktop and the previous state.
- WinKey + E launches File Explorer in the Quick Access tab.
- WinKey + F opens the Microsoft Feedback hub.
- WinKey + G opens the Game Bar tools, if that’s how you spend your time at home.
- WinKey + H opens the Dictation toolbar.
- WinKey + I opens your Settings.
- WinKey + K opens the Connect pane to connect to wireless displays and devices.
- WinKey + L locks the device.
- WinKey + M minimizes all open windows.
- WinKey + O locks the device’s orientation on tablets and mobile devices.
- WinKey + P opens the Project pane.
- WinKey + Q opens Search.
- WinKey + R displays the run dialog box.
- WinKey + S launches Cortana in typing mode.
- WinKey + T cycles through the apps on the taskbar.
- WinKey + U launches the Ease of Access/Display Center to manage your screens.
- WinKey + V opens your clipboard app to view things you have copied to your clipboard with Ctrl + C.
- WinKey + X opens the advanced, Secret Start menu.
Adjusting Your Open Windows
Some of Windows’ shortcuts are designed to help the user arrange their display to the appearance that best suits their needs. For instance:
- WinKey + Left/Right Arrow will take the active window and adjust it to fill the left or right side of the monitor it is displayed in.
- WinKey + Shift + Left/Right Arrow will move the active window over to another display.
- WinKey + Up Arrow will maximize the active window.
- WinKey + Down Arrow will minimize the active window.
There are, of course, many more Windows shortcuts to take advantage of, as well as plenty of other tips to help make your workday more efficient. We often share them in this blog, so make sure you come back often to check in!
