Databranch Monthly Tech Talk
IT Solutions for the Workplace
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Top Three Reasons to Back Up Your SaaS Data
One of the most business-friendly innovations in recent years has been the rapid growth of cloud applications like Microsoft 365 and G Suite. These Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) apps have fundamentally changed the way we do business, enabling companies to take advantage of economies of scale and reduce IT infrastructure costs. While these apps offer many advantages,
one thing they can’t do is completely protect your business data from outside threats, like cyber-criminals.
So why should you back up your data as a defense against these cyber predators?
1) SaaS apps do not backup your data: Many organizations assume that moving to cloud-based applications means backup is no longer necessary. However, this can be a dangerous assumption. Although Microsoft and Google ensure that they won’t lose your data, they do not make any guarantees about restoring data if you lose it. In other words, your cloud data is as vulnerable to accidental or malicious deletion, ransomware, and other types of data loss as on-premise applications. How would your business cope if you permanently lost your data or, at best, waited 6 hours or more to retrieve one file? Relying on apps to provide the level and layers of protection you need puts your business at risk of losing valuable time and data.
2) Cyber-attacks are not slowing down: In January 2020, 480,000 Microsoft accounts were compromised by spraying attacks. This is when an attacker runs a common password (like “Winter2020!”) against lists of thousands of accounts, in the hopes that some of those will have used that common password. If that number sounds big, bear in mind that Microsoft stops 300 million fraudulent sign-in attempts every day. Again, that’s not per year or per month, but 300 million per day! What would the consequences be if your business’ email was not accessible for 30 minutes? How about a full day? A week? Productivity dollars slipping away with every tick of the clock. That is why having additional security software and a robust business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) process in place will make all the difference.
3) Data breaches are significantly hurting small businesses: When it comes to cyber-crime, small and medium businesses (SMBs) are doubly susceptible to being victimized. That’s because, in addition to the potential cost of being hit by hackers and other cyber-criminals, they also risk losing the confidence of consumers. The evidence presented in the Small Business Reputation and the Cyber Risk report clearly supports this and shows that 89% of SMBs report potential ramifications of a cyber breach can be “huge and long-lasting”. Specifically, 31% of SMBs report a negative hit to their brand, 30% of SMBs report loss of clients, and 29% of SMBs report a reduction in their ability to win new business. If this isn’t enough to convince you that you must invest in cloud backup, then you should consider the potential fines attached to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The risks and fines associated with forgoing HIPAA compliance far outweigh the upfront costs of implementing a SaaS backup solution.
If you're considering backing up your SaaS data for your organization and would like to learn more about how cloud backup can prevent a data disaster, please reach out to Amanda at 716-373-4467 x 15 (alasky@databranch.com) or your dedicated Databranch Account Manager!
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Microsoft 365 is the Best Thing for Staff Productivity
Pandemic + Working From Home = Relying on technology more than ever before.
The tools available in Microsoft 365 have been developed to help us stay productive wherever we’re working.
If you have been using Microsoft’s software for years, now is a good time to discover new features.
If you haven’t started exploring yet, you’re missing out on a lot of ways to boost productivity and make your life easier. Here are some of the main things to explore.
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Microsoft Teams
Teams has made communication and collaboration even more effective than traditional ways of working face-to-face.
Long gone are the days when different versions of the same documents were flying around on email. Set up Teams correctly and your colleagues can work together in real-time with only one master copy of a document that’s shared and discussed.
You can even turn the clock back to previous versions if somebody makes an error or heads in the wrong direction.
Setting up dedicated channels within Teams lets defined groups of people focus on specific projects and topics. This makes sure people only get notified about the work they’re involved in which keeps Teams from being overwhelming or confusing.
It’s a space to help your team work with a focused level of productivity.
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MyAnalytics
MyAnalytics is a productivity insights tool to help your employees work smarter.
By offering specific data on how you work, MyAnalytics is designed to help you improve how you spend your time. It includes data on how much uninterrupted time you have – you know, time each day when you can focus on your actual work, along with a lot of other tailored advice to help you plan your time.
Now that so many of us are balancing home life and work life in the same location, this data can really help to plan and structure your work.
As well as providing you with data, MyAnalytics also offers suggestions for specific things you can try to improve the way you work. For example, it can automatically add a couple of hours of dedicated focus time to your calendar each day to block anybody else from stealing the time you need to get things done.
It also helps to link together the various apps you use by offering suggestions based on your activity. One example of this is how MyAnalytics in Outlook can give you a notification to highlight any outstanding tasks you’ve set up related to the person you’re speaking with.
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Don't Know How to Do Something? Try the Search Box at the Top of Microsoft's Apps
The search box is very smart, and can often be the quickest way to do what you need to do.
Instead of Googling your question, this handy box will often take you straight to the button you need to press.
This can help save you a lot of time as it avoids the need to research online. It’ll also make sure you get an answer specific to your version of Word, Excel, or whichever Microsoft 365 app you’re using.
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Make Remembering Passwords A Thing of the Past
Using weak passwords is risky. So is using the same password across different services.
If you do this, it means that once somebody has your email address and password, they’ll find it incredibly easy to access your other accounts.
This can wreak havoc on your digital life and within your business. And the damage can also spill over into serious real-world inconvenience too. This is especially true if identity theft is involved, or if they’ve managed to break into your social media or bank accounts.
Data breaches happen every day, and once your passwords and email addresses are out there, you never know whose hands they’ll end up in (many get sold on something called the Dark Web, a kind of hidden internet for criminals).
But what can you do to keep your passwords safe and your digital accounts secure?
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#1 - Use A Password Manager
Instead of scratching your head to come up with a new password for each account, use a password manager to automatically generate long, random, strong passwords
It’ll also remember them for you. You only need to remember one password… the master password to access the password manager.
The best password managers let you customize how long your passwords are, and what kind of characters they should include. And will keep them 100% safe while still giving you easy access across all your devices.
We can set you up with a Password Manager and train you and your team on how to best use it - simply get in touch!
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#2 - Turn On Multi-factor Authentication (MFA)
As well as setting up a password manager, turn on multi factor authentication.
When you log in to your accounts, you’ll need to enter an additional security code.
These can be sent to you by text message. Better still, you can set up an authentication app on your phone that refreshes with unique codes every few seconds.
Multi factor authentication is available on most software. And is considered a highly effective tool against hackers. Even if they’ve got your login details, without your phone they can’t get in.
We recommend you implement this for many apps your staff may use. After an initial bit of discomfort, they’ll soon get used to it.
We can guide you & your team through the whole process - just give us a call - 716-373-4467 x 15!
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WE LOVE REFERRALS
The greatest gift anyone can give us is a referral to your friends. Referrals help us keep costs down so we can pass the savings to our clients.
If your friend ends up becoming a client - we’ll gift them their free first month of service (for being a friend of yours) AND we’ll gift you a $100 Amazon Gift Voucher.
Simply introduce me via email (dprince@databranch.com) and I’ll take it from there. I personally promise we’ll look after your friend’s business with a high level of care and attention (just like we do with all our clients).
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Technology Trivia
Do you know why all the iPhones in Apple’s adverts show the time as 9:41?
The first person to email us at info@databranch.com and give a correct answer gets a $25 Amazon Gift Card
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NEED A LAUGH?
Which computer is widely regarded as the best for making music?
Clue: It’s a Dell.
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Databranch | www.databranch.com
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