Passkeys could improve the way you work, forever

Back in May, we heard there would soon be a successor to the password – the Passkey.

Now, we’re hearing that Apple will start rolling out Passkeys in the next few months in iOS 16. And we’re excited.

Though it’s caused a bit of confusion. Apple is going to great lengths to market the Passkey, and understandably, people have assumed that it’s a feature exclusive to Apple.

That’s not the case.

In fact, Passkeys will be used in a joint effort to boost online security by Apple, Microsoft and Google. The reason Apple is promoting this new feature so hard is to get the message out there.

Microsoft and Google are also keen to spread the word so that people understand how Passkeys work.

Windows 10 is getting a very useful Windows 11 feature

There’s no denying the Windows 11 has a lot of really cool new features.

If you haven’t made the move from Windows 10 yet, you’re missing out.

But there’s good news. To make the (eventual) move from Windows 10 to 11 a little easier, Microsoft is sharing a couple of 11’s most useful features.

The first should make printing a little easier. We can hear your cheers from here! Anything that makes printing easier is OK in our book too. Printers don’t have a terrible reputation for nothing…

This feature makes printing PIN-protected. That means when you want to print a document, you’ll send it off to the printer – but it’ll only print when you’ve reached the printer and entered your PIN.

This removes the risk of you printing something confidential and leaving it on the printer for everyone to see.

Or accidentally printing several copies of the same document. Yes, this will reduce paper waste.

And that’s not all…

If you’re under pressure to take urgent action – stop and think

Phishing scams are one of the biggest security threats to your business right now.

A massive 83% of organisations said they suffered successful attacks last year. And with just under a third of phishing emails being opened, the chances that someone in your business will be fooled are high.

But to make matters more difficult, cyber criminals have borrowed a technique from ransomware groups that is designed to panic people into taking action and giving away their login details.

This new kind of phishing attack begins like most others.

You get an email alerting you to potentially suspicious activity on your account. It might say someone is trying to login from a different location or device and the attempt has been blocked.

You’re then asked to click a link to verify your email address and password.

That’s worrying enough, right?

Get the perfect video call – setup advice – whatever the budget

Video calls are now part of every day life in business. They have become an important communication tool.

Video call setup is important but many people have poor lighting, sound and positioning.

Our new video shows you how to improve these a areas.

Is working from home really good for your business?

Working from home. Or remote working, as it’s now called.

It’s the big thing in business, isn’t it? And some people love it.

They’re happier working where they want, and when they want. And that makes them more productive and less likely to leave.

But have you stopped to consider the downside to remote working? The negative elements for your business and your people?

While many employees are happy to work from home using video calls and collaborative software to stay connected, there’s a small percentage who find the whole experience isolating.

What does the global chip shortage mean for your business?

For the past couple of years, the tech world has been struggling with a huge shortage of chips.

But it’s not just tech businesses that are feeling the impact.

So many of the things we use every day contain a chip. Laptops and desktops, sure. But also household appliances, even our cars. It’s hard to find an electric device without a chip.

This shortage has the potential to disrupt our modern lives.

Did you know, it’s been ongoing since 2020 (ah, that year really was a gift, wasn’t it)?

It started during the pandemic as production fell while demand went up.

Other events since have made it worse, including extreme weather, the Ukraine war and a factory fire.

We’re told that increasing chip production isn’t easy. It can take years to build a new factory because of the unique production demands.

Of course, all of this is someone else’s problem. Let’s make it real to you – what does this actually mean for your business?

Some employees won’t stop using apps that could be a security risk

It’s likely a lot of the applications and software tools you’re using now are different from the ones your business used before the pandemic.

That’s because we’ve all had to make big adjustments to the way we communicate and collaborate.

And to begin with, it may have been hit and miss. It’s possible in the first few weeks and months that your employees had to use whatever tools they had available to them.

Now that we’ve settled into permanent new ways of working, we can pick the software tools that best suit our businesses.

Unfortunately, your employees might not like your choice of which apps should be used within the company. And some of them may continue to use the ones they prefer, despite the security risk that comes with that.

Microsoft’s taking a responsible leadership position on AI

Microsoft’s decided to retire and rework an AI tool that could not only recognise our facial features, but also identify our mood.

Azure Face is an emotion recognition tool. These are highly criticised by experts who believe they violate human rights.

Microsoft has just published the updated version of its Responsible AI Standard.

It wants AI to be a positive force in the world, and says it recognised Azure Face has the potential to be misused.

It seems like it’s not goodbye for good for the AI facial recognition technology though. Although the public won’t be able to access it, Microsoft sees the value of controlled access for specific needs, such as assistance for the visually impaired.

How do you stop Teams opening when you start your windows 11 computer

People have come to rely on MS Teams for hybrid working and communicating but it can be frustrating sometimes.

When you start your computer it automatically opens. It can be disabled from doing this.

In Windows 11 this is a simple change. You can still manually start Teams when needed but this video will show you how to prevent it starting each time you start your computer.

Ever wondered if your apps are spying on you? Now you can find out

It’s no secret that some applications are a little too interested in us and what we’re doing.

We’ve all had this experience. You might be talking to a friend about a new product that you’d like to try. Or perhaps you’ve discussed somewhere you’d like to visit.

Then the next time you go online you see adverts for the exact things you were talking about.

It’s more than a coincidence, surely???

Until recently, we haven’t had a lot of control over what information our apps are gathering about us.