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Understanding the Role of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs)

Non-fungible tokens or NFTs are rising in popularity as more people discover their importance. These tokens come with unique metadata and identification codes, making it easier to distinguish individual tokens. Unlike digital currencies, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, you cannot trade or exchange NFTs. They are cryptographic assets representing the value of physical items, such as artwork and real estate, on a blockchain platform.

Another significant difference between non-fungible tokens with cryptocurrencies is that the latter are identical and can be replicated. These characteristics are useful for trading and exchanging currencies. On the other hand, NFTs help enhance trading efficiency for tangible assets like artwork. By adopting tokens, blockchain platforms mitigate fraud risk.

It is possible to use non-fungible tokens to represent property rights, people’s identities, and other items. The characteristics of each token expands the possible use cases. With NFTs, users can conveniently eliminate intermediaries, and it becomes easier to connect the target audience with tangible assets.

An added benefit of using non-fungible tokens is simplifying transactions and introducing new markets.

NFT mania

The Covid-19 health crisis played a significant role in boosting the popularity of non-fungible tokens. However, many experts attribute NFT mania to the need for asset diversification and experimentation. Artists have embraced the tokens, thanks to the ability to trace ownership and authenticity of tangible assets like artwork. Likewise, artists can boost income by monetizing their artwork.

Musicians and other digital products can combat duplication and piracy of their new releases using NFTs. They will find it more practical to achieve this objective by authenticating ownership. The empowerment of artists is essential to revolutionizing the digital art market. It is no surprise that a recent Christie’s online auction featured several NFT art pieces. This high-profile NFT auction helped propel the tokens into the limelight.

Other notable NFT transactions include The Kings Leon’s famous offer to fans. They offered vinyl records and tickets to future tours. Meanwhile, project NBA TopShots sold a wide selection of digital collectibles in a highly publicized non-fungible token transaction.

Characteristics of NFTs

The digital representation of tangible assets comes in the form of a digital footprint known as a hash. Depending on size, the representation can consist of the digital asset itself. Alternatively, it can appear as metadata, which describes the object stored in a physical location (off-chain).

Experts are exploring ways to develop technical standards that enable the interoperability of tokens across various blockchain platforms. Many non-fungible tokens use the ERC721 standard associated with the Ethereum blockchain. On the other hand, the ERC20 standard is common among Ethereum-based NFTs.

The non-fungibility of NFTs makes them non-divisible and distinguishable. They also have a characteristic uniqueness that prevents replication and interchanging or selling the tokens.

NFTs cannot serve their intended purpose outside of a blockchain system. They require this environment for transactions to take place securely. When you create or mint a non-fungible token, the blockchain system records the event. Once created, you can transact with the token via digital marketplaces and auction houses.

The records of subsequent transactions for a particular NFT appear on the same blockchain or distributed ledger. These records help link the token to an owner. Payments for the transactions come in the form of an Ethereum-based unit known as gas.

Individual platforms (digital marketplaces and auction houses) select the currency used to pay for NFT transactions. Some platforms allow payments in fiat money, stable coins, and digital currencies. Transactions using cryptos necessitate the involvement of exchanges, such as Coinbase.

Network congestion and computational power required to handle the transaction determine the amount of gas paid by users. Thus, you can expect to pay higher fees if the network is busy or the computational power requirements are higher.

Summary

Since non-fungible tokens have no clear regulatory or legal framework guiding their use, a lot depends on individual NFTs’ characteristics. Some tokens fall under the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID). NFTs falling outside of this regulatory framework may still have links to other frameworks.

The tokens are capable of reinvesting modern finance ecosystems by representing physical assets in the digital space. Blockchain plays an integral role in boosting the importance of NFTs in today’s world. Smart contracts’ tamper resistance is vital to the integrity of NFT transactions.

Key Insights From Cybersecurity Trends and Stats for 2021

Cybercrime is a hot topic that makes news headlines and attracts the corporate world and individuals’ attention. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), there was a 75 percent increase in breaches since the Covid-19 health crisis started through June 2020.

On the other hand, Google reported more than 19 million phishing attempts daily. It blocked these email attacks during the onset of the coronavirus outbreak. Cybercriminals targeted businesses and individuals by impersonating prominent organizations, such as the United Nations and the World Health Organization (WHO).

These trends show a persistent rise in cybercrime activities globally in recent years. Bad actors are increasing their activities in tandem with the growing number of businesses establishing an online presence.

Hence, decision-makers need to analyze critical 2021 cybersecurity statistics. Doing so makes it easier to understand the evolution of the threats and implement robust countermeasures.

Tech experts urge companies to focus on three cybersecurity trends in 2021:

• Ransomware
• Cyberattack surface (internet of things (IoT) supply chain and remote work systems)
• Threats to IT infrastructure

A Closer Look at Cybersecurity Stats

Here is an overview of stats by type of attack and industry to give you a clearer picture of cybersecurity trends.

Malware and Ransomware Statistics

Criminals are continuing to increase the number of malware and ransomware attacks on businesses of varying sizes. If you fail to protect your business from these attack vectors, the financial cost and reputational damage can be significant. According to recent reports, organizations lost approximately $20 billion in 2020 alone.

Social Engineering Attacks

This attack vector is another problematic area with many breaches reported in 2020. Bad actors employ various techniques, including tailgating, baiting, and phishing.

Hacking Attacks

When it comes to hacking, cybercriminals were more active in 2020 than in the previous year. During the first quarter of 2020, Microsoft detected breaches of over 250 million sensitive records. Meanwhile, a Twitter account breach resulted in the loss of $130 million.

Industry-Specific Cybersecurity Statistics

Bad actors target companies in various sectors, with small businesses bearing a significant portion of the brunt. Up to 43 percent of small enterprises lack cyber defense measures to prevent attacks. Ignorance contributes to high levels of complacence by small business owners.

According to Comparitech, public companies that become victims of breaches lose approximately 8.6 percent of their value.

Healthcare

A healthcare data breach report published in the HIPAA Journal revealed that cybercriminals stole more than 9 million medical records in September 2020 alone. This figure represents a 300 percent increase when considering the monthly average in the healthcare sector.

Education Sector

A significant portion of attacks in this sector involves social engineering and ransomware. The Verizon cybersecurity report revealed that educational institutions suffered up to 228 breaches in 2020. Many employees in the sector failed phishing tests owing to the lack of cybersecurity awareness training.

Financial Services

The majority of attacks (71 percent) have a financial impact on the targeted institutions. Criminal activities result in losses of more than $18 million annually. Some attacks occur despite the presence of specialized threat detection teams. On the other hand, roughly 31 percent of employees in the financial sector failed a phishing test.

Threat Prevention

The ever-increasing variety of cyber threats require a holistic response to maximize threat prevention. Investing in advanced intrusion detection tools is vital to ensure network security. Also, consider deploying advanced malware protection measures and supplemental endpoint security to safeguard your systems.

Unlike in the past, over-reliance on perimeter security no longer provides maximum protection. For this reason, opt for advanced solutions that replace traditional antivirus programs and firewalls. Examples of advanced measures include:

• Next-generation intrusion prevention system (NGIPS)
• URL filtering
• Next-generation firewalls (NGFWs)
• Application visibility and control (AVC)
• Advanced malware protection (AMP)

These solutions play a critical role in securing the perimeter, providing robust protection against common threats. Leverage threat intelligence to enhance your cybersecurity technologies’ capabilities. A combination of visibility and protection measures makes it easier to thwart threats.

Threat intelligence helps your IT team determine whether unknown files are malicious or not. In the end, you increase the number of unknown threats that your system understands.

An additional way to improve cybersecurity measures and prevent hackers from compromising your systems is partnering with external IT service providers. Outsourcing bolsters your internal capabilities and contributes specialized technologies that enhance overall protection.

Here Is Why Windows Virtual Desktop Is Better Than Traditional Virtualization Solutions

Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) allows your business to leverage either a multi- or single-user Windows 7 or 10 experience. The service also incorporates Office 365 ProPlus. You can count on WVD to help centralize monitoring and management functions. On the other hand, your organization’s system admins can use Azure Cloud to deploy and manage your company’s Windows servers, desktops, and apps.

WVD leverages Microsoft’s enterprise security solutions to maximize data protection. In turn, your organization scales virtualization requirements without worrying about security. The service provides a cost-effective solution, thanks to the subscription pricing model. Additionally, your team enjoys a richer virtualization experience than the Remote Desktop Services (RDS) platform.

Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) Benefits

When it comes to traditional virtualization tools versus Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD), the latter provides several advantages over traditional solutions.

Here are the key benefits of switching to Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD).

Reduces Costs

Migrating your organization’s apps and desktops to Azure using the Windows Virtual Desktop service is a viable way to reduce costs. The service enables savings by improving the utilization of critical, cost-intensive resources. Session-based desktops operating on Azure Virtual Machines are more cost-effective.

Microsoft simplifies licensing by eliminating the need for an additional client access license to use Windows 10 via WVD. Server operating systems typically require additional licenses.

Enhanced Compatibility With Office 365

By switching to Azure via Windows Virtual Desktop, your organization benefits from a comprehensive array of cloud-based applications and resources. The best part is that WVD ensures improved integration with wide-ranging Office 365 products. Enhanced compatibility helps improve overall performance in virtual desktop environments.

The boost in performance also applies to additional apps that need reduced latency. Graphics processing capability allows graphics-intensive apps to function optimally in the virtual desktop environment.

Improved Flexibility

Cloud-based solutions like Windows Virtual Desktop simplifies various tasks for end-users and IT staff. Teams benefit from improved flexibility by conveniently accessing the business apps and desktops from any device, browser, or location. Office 365 applications integrate seamlessly with the service, enriching the user experience.

On the other hand, migrating to the cloud reduces IT staff’s workload as they no longer spend increased time managing local networks and physical machines. WVD also makes desktop applications easier to manage, thanks to Windows 7 and 10. Thus, Tech experts create personal and persistent desktops using desktop images.

WVD enhances scalability and flexibility by storing apps and user profiles in different containers.

Persistent and Non-Persistent Desktop Virtualization

With Windows Virtual Desktop, you can take advantage of support for persistent and non-persistent states. The service also supports multi-session and dedicated modes. In addition, users enjoy application and full desktop virtualization experiences.

Stateful VDI or persistent virtual desktop infrastructure allows individual users to operate a dedicated virtual desktop with personalized settings. This state benefits users due to the consistency of custom settings and desktop functionality. In turn, your team members adapt to the virtual desktop environment faster.

However, persistent VDIs are storage-intensive due to the extensive customization and sophisticated desktop image management. It simplifies image management using a centralized portal.

When it comes to non-persistent virtual desktop infrastructure, the system deletes user settings and data at the end of each session. As such, all new sessions deploy a new desktop image. This state minimizes the storage requirements and simplifies image management. You can opt for the non-persistent VDI if you need advanced security and want to reduce storage requirements.

Both persistent and non-persistent VDIs provide a more user-friendly experience. Non-persistent systems rely on FSLogix technology to mimic the user-friendliness of persistent VDIs. Additionally, you can count on non-persistent VDIs to link user profiles to specific computing environments. It attaches the profiles dynamically.

Windows Virtual Desktop Use Cases

With WVD, you find it easier to comply with regulatory requirements and standardize operations. Furthermore, the service allows you to boost workforce flexibility and handle specialized workloads more efficiently. A wide selection of businesses rely on Azure WVD to enhance their remote and office-based teams’ operations.

Windows Virtual Desktop provides a unified solution capable of serving the needs of call center staff, organizations with BYOD policies, and remote staff. The service ensures flexibility by allowing the workforce to use different types of devices. It also helps companies in highly regulated sectors, such as finance and healthcare, meet specific compliance requirements.

Transfer or Backup Google Authenticator in Few Easy Steps

Two-factor authentication (2FA) plays a critical role in mitigating cybersecurity risks posed by bad actors. This method bolsters access controls by requiring a two-step identity verification when signing into applications. Google Authenticator simplifies this process by enabling users to verify their identity using a smartphone.

When switching to a new phone, you need to transfer the keys. The app maximizes security by ensuring that keys are specific to one device. On the other hand, it does not come with a backup function. By doing so, Google mitigates the risk of cybercriminals gaining unauthorized access to the codes.

However, the lack of a backup function can create significant issues when your smartphone gets broken or lost. With the Google Authenticator app empty, you cannot access specific websites or apps using the two-factor authentication.

Backup Options

Thankfully, you can still take advantage of alternative backup options. Here are viable ways to backup Google Authenticator codes.

Write Down the Code

One practical way to backup the code without compromising security is by writing it on a piece of paper. This method eliminates the need for a printer or another mobile device. On the downside, this approach is nonviable on websites that only show the QR code.

Take a Screenshot

Taking a screenshot is another backup option that allows you to store the code on a separate device. This approach makes it easier to re-enter or rescan the code when visiting specific websites that require two-factor authentication.

This method’s advantage is that it is quick and easy, but hackers may still find and compromise the file on your computer. To store the Google Authenticator code securely, consider moving the file to a USB stick.

Backup Code Using a Separate Device

If you have an extra phone, use it to store the code by either scanning or manually entering the QR code. The additional mobile device can be your old phone, your partner’s smartphone, or a work device. This option allows you to backup the codes easily. However, if you backup using a device that you regularly carry while on the go, it is possible to lose both phones resulting in a problem.

Transferring Google Authenticator to a New Phone

To transfer Google Authenticator easily and conveniently, take advantage of the app’s transfer tool. For this process to work seamlessly, ensure that the source and target devices have the latest Authenticator version.

Start the process by tapping the menu icon on the source smartphone before selecting Export accounts and entering the PIN code. Once you verified your identity with the PIN code, select the accounts you intend to transfer and tap Next.

On your target device, open Google Authenticator and tap Get Started before selecting Import existing accounts. You can find this section at the bottom of the screen.

Proceed to the next step by selecting Scan QR code. If the source device has multiple codes that require scanning, simply follow the prompts to complete the transfer process. The system confirms all successful transfers.

If you transfer Google Authenticator from an iPhone, you need to complete additional steps to move the codes successfully.

Transferring Codes Without the Google Authenticator Transfer Tool

In the event that the transfer tool fails to move the accounts, you can resort to the traditional method. This approach entails transferring Authenticator manually by moving accounts one by one.

For this process to work, you should install the application on your new device. Sign in to your Google account via the multi-factor authentication website. You must visit the site using a desktop device. Once you have logged into the account, grab both your mobile phones to begin the transfer process.

In the Authenticator app section, select the Change phone option before entering the type of mobile phone. After that, follow the prompts. Once you complete this stage, scan the code on Google’s authentication website via the application. Verify that the transfer worked correctly by entering the six-digit code. If everything goes well, the codes on the source mobile device become invalid.

You should repeat the same process with all accounts that use Google Authenticator, such as Amazon, Apple, and Facebook. Avoid removing the app from the source smartphone until you have transferred all accounts to the new device. Deleting the Authenticator application before completing all transfers can result in getting locked out of the remaining accounts.

How to Onboard Remote Employees More Efficiently

As more companies switch to remote work, employers need to embrace the best onboarding practices to enhance new hires’ experience. Alignment involves updating various tools and processes to ensure seamless onboarding. Additionally, organizations are working tirelessly to leverage productivity hacks for remote teams.

Onboarding new employees remotely change the entire experience for both sides. Hence, the company’s approach to onboarding new hires makes a significant difference. A recent Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC) survey in the US revealed that more than 30 percent of managers found coaching and onboarding new employees more challenging since that pandemic started.

This reality compels companies to adopt viable policies and approaches to resolve remote onboarding challenges. Resolving these issues is critical, given that the remote work trend will continue into the foreseeable future.

On the other hand, streamlining the remote onboarding process comes with significant benefits. These advantages include reducing training or coaching time and increased retention rates. New hires are more likely to stay on the job if the onboarding process helps them understand roles and responsibilities. Well-planned remote onboarding enables new team members to build a connection with colleagues.

Remote Onboarding Best Practices

Onboarding remote employees involve a relatively different process than the traditional procedure. When handled appropriately, the virtual process helps new employees feel a sense of belonging. Thus, schedule several virtual meetings to ensure effective communication. Interactive seminars and training courses help familiarize themselves with organizational processes.

Here are the best practices to onboard remote workers more effectively.

Invest in the Right Technology

The first step to ensuring a smooth onboarding process is to invest in the right technologies, such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom. These tools provide a reliable and secure connection when conducting training and interactive seminars. They provide chat and video meeting functionality to suit your organization’s needs. However, you should ensure that the new hires know how to use these communication tools.

Set Onboarding Goals

Unlike in-person onboarding processes, virtual introductions require more than just a warm welcome. You need to create a comprehensive list of objectives and procedures to enhance the new employee’s experience. Onboarding virtually may make some individuals feel uncomfortable asking questions. Thus, share the onboarding plan before the scheduled video call. In doing so, you ensure that the new team member knows what to expect.

One of the best ways to prepare for the sessions is to compile a detailed checklist of tasks and objectives. For instance, you can plan to complete human resources paperwork, set up Microsoft Teams accounts, and liaise with relevant stakeholders by the end of day one. You can also target to conduct security training and help the new employee get a feel of various tools by the end of the first week.

Host Virtual Introductions

Hosting a meeting between new hires and the rest of the team helps new members feel welcome and break feelings of isolation. Scheduling the video calls allows you to explain the team structure and generate enthusiasm. In the end, the entire team gets a sense of shared goals.

Help the new staff members remember people’s names easily by providing resources to refresh their memory. One way is to present them with a document listing the team members’ names (including photos), contact details, and position in the company. The document can also outline the organizational structure. Update the resource regularly to ensure accuracy.

Meeting people via video call makes it difficult to remember the names of team members. The process can be overwhelming.

Integrate Company Traditions Into the Onboarding Process

If your company has longstanding traditions that enrich the onboarding process, find ways to integrate them into interactive seminars and virtual training sessions. For instance, you can give new hires gift cards to local eateries if your company provides complimentary lunches on specific days. Likewise, you can host happy hours via video conferencing platforms like Microsoft Teams.

Assess Employees’ Feedback

Once the new hires complete the onboarding process, ask them for feedback. You can achieve this objective by asking the new team members to complete a short survey. In the survey, they can highlight likes and dislikes about various aspects of the onboarding procedures. In addition, encourage the employees to share ideas on how to improve remote onboarding.

Schedule Ongoing Check-Ins

Regularly checking in with the new staff members allows you to identify any issues and resolve them. Doing so ensures that the new hires feel connected to the onboarding process. Also, pair new team members with carefully selected mentors. This approach allows the new remote staff to avoid feeling isolated.

Microsoft Teams and the Future of Video Calling

Microsoft Teams is a free cross-platform collaboration software that focuses on users, enabling great collaboration with teammates and customers across any device and empowering customers to work faster. Teams aims to propel traditional productivity experiences to the future, giving all kinds of teams a purpose and a reason to stand alone from other software. Team members set their own notifications based on their roles and priorities, so they never get too few or too many messages in their inbox. This flexibility to prioritize notifications with peers and outside users will be appreciated by anyone on your team, and it encourages trust, collaboration, and increased productivity. The Microsoft Teams alert feature alerts team members when necessary, and you can assign a timer to notifications, helping you better manage the number of people and alerts by priority.

Why Microsoft Teams Integrations

Teams has thought long and hard about their integration with Microsoft Office 365. This implementation is available at no extra cost. Teams also integrates with other popular tools from Microsoft, such as Skype, Slack, Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and OneNote. This flexibility helps make collaboration and communication easy and available to everyone on your team that uses other Microsoft products. Team members set their own notifications based on their roles and priorities, and this is a crucial feature to assist in prioritizing notifications with peers. Just like the dial-in phone number in Teams, the notifications now include the message, your team number, and additional information. The call response options are now easier to navigate and make it easier to initiate a group conversation than before. You can call an entire group at the same time to save time when calling similar groups of people. Team members will receive a notification when they get a new call in a conversation screen, so they can respond quickly.

Why Is Microsoft Teams Growing So Fast?

At first, when a topic dominates the news, it is easier to assume that the reality won’t measure up to the hype. But the reason why Microsoft Teams is growing so quickly is because it adds a lot of substance to the hype. All types of teams need this service, so they love that new features are being added at an alarming rate. We’re continuing to see customers and business teams increasing their usage of Microsoft Teams. The stream of good news continues to grow at this time, surrounding the features that make their video collaboration and presentation features rival and exceed competitive online software. Organizations are not just embracing Microsoft Teams; they are making their own success stories. General Mills uses Microsoft Teams to help its broad base of users, along with its IT support team, brand partners, and suppliers on teams worldwide.

More than 500 companies use Microsoft Teams at this time, and big data continues to remain at the heart of every digital transformation project, so Teams has made improvements in facilitating this area as well. Today’s customers expect businesses to leverage the insights provided by big data and to inform decisions for the future – driving better business outcomes. These are never binary decisions: Users want to be part of the conversation. To achieve big data success in partnership with great service that empowers them, IBM collaborates with Microsoft Teams to provide real-time communications, conversational commerce, and customer insights to help understand “what they see, hear and do.” IBM announced a new privacy-focused version of IBM Smart Answer — information about people, tasks, and interests — for Microsoft Teams, giving customers worldwide a secure, central view of their data to learn about their customers, behaviors, and how they choose to interact with their businesses.

COVID-19 Vaccine Related Phishing and How You Can Protect Your Organization

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to claim lives across the globe and infection rates continue to soar, scientists are continually looking for a solution to end the world’s suffering. In the past weeks, vaccine manufacturers, such as Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech, have published encouraging results from the last stages of their vaccine trials, giving the world a glimpse of hope.

However, with all these vaccines that have been developed and those in their final stages, none has been officially released for mass consumption. As the population continues to get overwhelmed with pandemic fatigue and scientists get closer to developing a real vaccine, cybercriminals are now using the developed vaccines as a ploy in their extortion activities.

What are phishing emails?

Phishing is a form of social engineering often used by cybercriminals to trick their targets into providing them with their personal information and account data. Once this information is obtained, these malicious actors use the targets’ credentials or install malware into their systems to obtain data. Phishing is carried out via text messages, instant messages, social media messaging platforms, phone calls, or email. However, phishing emails are the most common. The recipient of the email is usually tricked into clicking on a malicious link, which may lead to the installation of malware that may obtain sensitive information or freeze the recipient’s system as a way to deny services as part of a cyberattack.

At the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, these emails came in different forms with luring subject lines such as:

• What to do if you have come into contact with someone with COVID-19.
• Free COVID-19 testing emails.
• Advice on what to do if you have violated COVID-19 health protocols.

The main aim of these emails was to exploit the anxiety surrounding the pandemic. With the vaccine in sight and the topic naturally arousing excitement and attention, these emails are now being tailored to announce the promise of COVID-19 vaccines.

How can you identify phishing emails? As an organization, you have probably already started seeing vaccine-themed phishing emails or may expect to start seeing these emails in the next few weeks. But how exactly do you distinguish these fake emails from verified ones to protect your employees and ultimately protect your organization’s systems?

Here are several tips to help you identify phishing emails:

1. Legitimate companies don’t request sensitive information via email: The chances are that if you receive an email purporting to be from a legitimate institution that provides you with an attachment or link and asks you to provide sensitive data, it’s a scam. Most verified organizations don’t send emails asking for credit card information, account usernames and passwords.
2. Legitimate companies don’t send unsolicited links or attachments: Unexpected emails that contain links and attachments reek of hackers. Authentic organizations don’t randomly send you emails with links or attachments; they usually direct you to their websites.
3. Look out for spelling errors: The easiest way to recognize a phishing email is terrible grammar. Emails from a verified organization are usually well-written.
4. Legitimate companies have domain emails: Don’t only check the name of the person sending you the email, also check the email address. Most companies use their domain email addresses when sending out emails. However, this is not a foolproof method of identifying phishing emails.

How can you protect your organization against phishing attacks?

To protect your organization from phishing attacks, you need to practice vigilance. Training your employees on what to look out for when it comes to distinguishing phishing emails goes a long way toward protecting your organization from malicious attacks.

The following pointers will help to mitigate risks for phishing attacks:

• Use two-factor or multifactor authentication methods to add an extra verification layer when logging in to sensitive applications.
• Integrate firewalls to establish a barrier between your internal network and incoming traffic from external sources to block malicious traffic.
• Keep all your software and applications updated.
• Install security software such as antivirus, antispyware and anti-malware programs to help detect and remove malicious programs.
• Enable email filtering to filter out incoming emails for phishing content and automatically move them to a separate folder.

No matter how secure your company’s network is, it only takes one reckless employee to fall victim to a phishing attack and send your company’s data into the hands of cybercriminals. Your employees need to understand and be able to recognize phishing emails to protect your organization.

What’s New With Microsoft Forms

Microsoft Forms gives you a plethora of features to utilize to your advantage. It easily creates useful documentation for your business and is accessible to virtually everyone in your organization. Forms integrate well with many other Microsoft Office products, including Outlook, and it is completely free to use. Microsoft Forms makes it possible to organize documents, create tracking data, and support large-scale projects — and in today’s dynamic business environment, nothing is more important than data collected and analyzed. Microsoft Forms is an essential piece of software that transforms the way we work by connecting everyone into a collaborative environment.

With its many features, Microsoft Forms makes it easy to visualize real-time data and use an automated form of predictive analytics to capture rapid insight. Customization allows users to create forms that fit their own needs. Businesses use Microsoft Forms for more than just keeping track of data; they use it to implement customer research and manage their various social media presences. Sales teams can collect and organize all of their prospecting surveys and then store and analyze the results of their data collections to the cloud.

Businesses can use Microsoft Forms tools to survey employees, gather feedback, and even ask for advice on projects and other key decisions. Many businesses also use it to share interactive quizzes that allow them to create proprietary data stores, which they can then mine for insights.

Data Visualization

Another great benefit of the Microsoft Forms tool is visualized data. Once the form data has been collected, the online software converts it into graphs and charts that make your data more accessible and easy for others to interpret. Easy data visualization is at the core of Microsoft Forms, and what they have can be seen as an upgrade over other top survey tools.

There are also advanced analytics capabilities along with an impressively professional user interface. With all of these upgrades over other online survey alternatives, it becomes clear why Microsoft Survey has been gaining so much traction. Microsoft Forms allows for handling multiple surveys at a time. This not only makes it easier to gather data, but it also makes it a better tool to manage your surveys. Quizzes can handle complex functionalities, even when built from scratch, due to the modular user interface and extensible components that the software affords.

Microsoft Forms in the Classroom

Forms are set to become a vital, fundamental, and integral tool for ensuring that students are continually up to date with the world around them. Using Microsoft Forms, students can conduct transactions, undertake research, and apply real-time data to various tasks. In addition to taking advantage of all the Office Online tools and bringing with it the power of Office Web Apps, Forms sports new features that help with collecting surveys during specific time periods, retrieving input from third-party software, and integrating it with Microsoft Teams — another platform that is gaining an impressive following from the academic community.

One of the powers of Microsoft Forms lies in its ability to bridge student needs from both web, email, and text, facilitating communication along with the data that drives it. With Microsoft Forms, students can maintain private electronic environments — which comes in handy for classes run by the same institution. The software is slowly becoming the standard for student needs, and as such, it is imperative that students effectively utilize Microsoft Forms when interacting with external and unstructured data sources. By staying synced online in an isolated cloud environment, students can also use Microsoft Forms for composing collaborative survey documents, a practice that students have used as a vital tool for research purposes.

As Microsoft continues to fit their needs, a growing number of students will continue to get the most out of their academic careers by utilizing the platform’s features.

9 Meeting Tips for Using Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is a simple, yet effective tool for hosting meetings. It has both audio and video capabilities as well as a chat feature. It can handle conference calls and one on one meetings, with members of your organization as well as guests. Plus, it has a convenient chat feature that can be used to share documents and spreadsheets. Here are a few tips for using Teams effectively in meetings.

• Send Invites through E-mail: Anyone in your organization who has access to your company communications can be easily searched and added when you create a new meeting. But if you’d like to add someone from outside of the organization, all you have to do is enter their email when you create an event or add it later on. They will receive an invitation in their inbox that will allow them to enter the meeting when it starts.
• Admit Guests from the Lobby: Members of your organization who are invited to the meeting will be able to join automatically when it starts. But those who are not must be admitted. When guests enter the meeting, they will be placed in the lobby to await your admittance. You will receive a notification and see them waiting in the lobby – all you have to do is click the checkmark next to their name and they will be able to enter the meeting.
• Keep the Noise to a Minimum: Conference calls can get noisy. A loud air conditioner or nescient conversations in the background of one guest’s location can disrupt the entire call. Attendees can mute themselves while others are talking to reduce interference. Or if one particular guest is not complying with the request, as the host you can mute them.
• Make Sure Guests Download Teams: To join a Teams meeting, guests must download the app or browser extension. It’s free to download and doesn’t require any fancy plugins. But guests may be confused if you don’t make them aware that the call is being conducted through an app.
• Decide on an Audio or Video Call: Teams has video capabilities as well as audio. It may be awkward for some if they are not aware that they will be visible during the meeting if it’s a video call. So, to make things run smoothly decide beforehand whether a video call is necessary and make sure everyone is on the same page.
• Share Documents in the Chat During a Call: The chat feature allows you to seamlessly share and view documents and text communications while on a call. If you have an important memo or chart you want everyone to see, simply drop it in the chat and participants can view it without leaving the call.
• Join with Audio Conferencing: Teams is generally run through Wi-Fi, but if you or a guest is in an area with limited internet access, you can always join a call through audio conferencing. Audio conferencing allows members to dial in manually using their phone line. Those who have audio conferencing available will see dial-in instructions provided alongside the meeting info.
• Record Your Teams Meetings: Teams has a recording function if you want a video of the meeting to reference or transcribe. All you have to do is select the “…” button in the meeting and press record. But keep in mind, you may want to make participants aware that they are being recorded, so no one feels uncomfortable.
• Share Selected Applications: Teams allows you to share selected applications with meeting participants, rather than your entire desktop. So, if you want to show your browser, but not your email, you can do so with application sharing.

Teams is a powerful app and there are a variety of innovative yet simple features you can play around with. Employ these tips in your next meeting to increase your productivity and efficiency.

Top 15 Microsoft Teams Tips and Tricks

Microsoft Teams is one of the most popular and influential digital team-building solutions available for startups and business teams of any size. Using Microsoft Teams as your company’s preferred collaboration tool provides access to myriad features, from private messaging and group chats to file and document-sharing. With a few tips and tricks, optimize your time and productivity whenever you and your team put Microsoft Teams to use.

How Can I Get Better Organized with Microsoft Teams?

In order to use Microsoft Teams as efficiently as possible, getting organized with the system is a must.

1. Bookmark Important Messages and Content

Whenever you receive a noteworthy message or content from another member of your team, select the bookmark icon next to the message. You can search for bookmarks by browsing for content within the message you are trying to find via your search bar or by typing the command “/saved” into the bar when searching for a list of your saved bookmarks.

2. Use Drag-and-Drop Features to Stay Organized

Use Microsoft Teams drag-and-drop features to organize messages, teams, files, as well as calendar events and important dates.

3. Create Groups for Users

Grouping members of your team or users who have joined you on Microsoft Teams is a way to keep better track of those you communicate with throughout each day. Create a new tag for specific groups to communicate with more team members in less time.

4. Select Favorites

You can also choose favorite channels and teams when using Microsoft Teams to gain quick access to those you use most. Favoriting or bookmarking channels and teams will keep them at the top of your list.

How Can I Increase Team Engagement?

5. Add Subject Lines

Adding subject lines throughout conversations and group messages can help to keep communications more organized and clutter-free. The icon for creating subject lines is located in the bottom left corner of the messaging section of Microsoft Teams.

6. Use Animated Graphics (GIFs) and Other Visual Media

Using visual media is a great way to break up conversations, make a point, and send a message without a wall of text. Use GIFs as well as other relevant imagery or visual media during conversations to keep track of the overall theme and direction of the conversation.

7. Use Urgent Messages and Notifications When Necessary

If you are looking to get in touch with a member of your team immediately, send an “Urgent” message from the messaging tab of Microsoft Teams.

8. Use Polls to Increase Engagement

Increase the engagement of your team members by implementing a question or a poll with the messages you send out en masse.

9. Use Eye-Catching Headlines and Titles

Use appealing and eye-catching headlines and titles when communicating with your team to keep them focused and interested in the content of your conversation or meeting.

Improve Meetings Altogether With Microsoft Teams

10. Putting Together Mode to Use

Use Together Mode from Microsoft Teams to emulate a full conference room of participants.

11. Instantly Call a Team Member Within a Chat

If you are in need of more one-on-one communication, instantly call a team member from directly within a private conversation.

12. Record Your Meetings

Record your meetings from the main control panel in your Microsoft Teams account. It is also possible to use this section to transcribe each of your meetings for future use and reference.

13. Use Microsoft Teams Meeting Notes

Using Microsoft Teams Meeting Notes section is another way to keep track of conversations, topics that are covered, and tasks for teams and individuals alike.

14. Blur Out Your Current Background at Home or at the Office

Whether you are working remotely permanently or want to minimize and limit distractions during team meetings, you can blur your background from the main settings area of your Microsoft Teams bar.

15. Title and Log Meetings Appropriately

In order to maximize overall productivity, be sure to title and log all of your meetings and conversations in Microsoft Teams appropriately for future searches and use.

Using Microsoft Teams for your business, startup, or brand is a great way to effectively communicate with co-workers and team members remotely, regardless of your location and time zone. By taking the time to optimize Microsoft Teams for you, increase productivity and overall efficiency among all of your team members and employees.

Need a quick book on Microsoft Teams: Click here to check out one we recommend.