IT News | September/October 2018
In this issue
Microsoft Office 365 Coming Soon!

How to make a great password
All 2018 eRecycling proceeds are donated to Prevent Child Abuse Tennessee. 
 
For over 30 years, PCAT's mission has been to support parents and the communities where they live in building loving homes where children feel treasured, adored and valued.
Greetings!
Join us on Friday, October 19th for our first annual Spooky S'mores eRecycling Event. Bring your electronics to recycle while sharing some food and fun! Scroll to the end of the newsletter for your personal invitation.

For the fifth year in a row, LAN Systems is in the Top 10 Best Places to Work sponsored by the Atlanta Business Chronicle. This year we are #8 in the small business category. Read our Q&A here.
Microsoft Office 365 Coming Soon!
A Simplified Ribbon and a Coming Soon feature pane are the newest features in Office 365. Roll out will start this month, so look for the Coming Soon icon, turn it On, explore the updates.

Customize your Outlook experience with a Simplified Ribbon
 
The Simplified Ribbon is both easily customizable and adaptable. The single row of commands can be quickly personalized to suit your work style and preferences—simply pin or remove commands from the ribbon that are important to you. You can always click back into the classic, full ribbon to access the complete set of commands anytime. You will also find that the Simplified Ribbon is now adaptive. It scales to fit different window sizes, adjusts icon labels and moves commands out of the way and accessible via new ellipses and menu drop down experiences.
 
 
Focus on what matters
 
Many small changes in the message list help highlight the things that matter. For example, names are bolded and flagged messages stand out with a yellow background. And with a little more padding and text treatment to create a clearer visual hierarchy, scanning your inbox and focusing on important messages is easier than ever.
 
Message subjects are more prominent in the reading pane and the header now takes up less space, leaving more room for your content.
Stay organized 
 
In the familiar folder pane , where email messages may be distributed across Favorites, Folders and Groups , special icons make each of them easy to spot. Customers who frequently use Office 365 Groups needed quicker access to the group folders. In this update, Groups are elevated to show up as a peer of personal folders under each account so now they will be accessible even if you hide your Folders list.
 
To give you more time back in your day, updates in Outlook Calendar help speed up the process of sending a meeting request. Both Required and Optional attendees can be quickly added. And with a clean, reorganized meeting request form, by setting the meeting time first, you make the suggested Location or conference rooms time-aware.
When you see Coming Soon, turn it On, explore the updates and let Microsoft know what you think by going to the User Voice or Twitter and posting your thoughts or voting on other user’s ideas.

To keep up on all the latest Office 365 features, go to the Office roadmap . For more information on these and other features, go to Power and Simplicity and Designed to be Fast .
How to make a great password
by Christopher Hall, LAN Systems HelpDesk
Credit Randall Munroe at xkcd.com for above image.


Tips for a safer password:

  1. Come up with a naming scheme. For example, pick two things that are unrelated, like a flavor, then a piece of furniture. Add the required number and character to the end and you have a memorable password that isn’t gibberish and is far more secure than a typical password if only due to length! If you ever need to come up with a new password in the future, use the same scheme and you should have no trouble coming up with something unique, complex, and new! Example: RancheroLoveseat1!
  2. Make it memorable! We know length is more important than complexity, and if it’s something simple or familiar, you are more likely to remember it. Having something you already know by heart reduces the need for post it notes with password lying out for easy theft. If a naming scheme doesn’t work for you, try a phrase or some lyrics! Add the required special characters at either end and you’re done: Example: NeverGonnaGiveYouUp!8


The real trick is simply remembering your password and that alone will make it far more secure!