How to Change Microsoft Teams Background

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Well into the 2020 summer of work from home (WFH), we’ve become better acquainted with one of the most popular collaboration platforms, Microsoft Teams. With an easy-to-use interface and powerful video conferencing features, Teams gets the job done. To further enhance your Teams experience, let’s learn how to change Microsoft Teams background. With the best collaboration tools on the planet, Microsoft works hard to help you appear professional. So, don’t spoil the illusion with unplanned chaos or messes you didn’t have time to clean up. Avoid unnecessary embarrassment for yourself and other household members by blocking them out. Blur or…

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4 Tips to Reduce Cloud Spending During COVID-19 and Beyond

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Even before COVID-19 sent the workforce home, businesses anticipated steadily increased spending on cloud infrastructure. Now, cloud services take on an even greater importance. In the coming months and years, organizations will continue to increase cloud usage. But severe budgetary constraints will put pressure on IT managers to reduce cloud spending. For example, in 2019, Gartner estimated that organizations would spend over $206 billion on public cloud services, particularly Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). But they inserted a caution. $14.1 billion of that spending would go to waste, due to idle resources and oversized infrastructure. As businesses struggle through the…

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Tips for Transitioning to Remote Work

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Over a period of three weeks, most of the workforce in the United States found themselves transitioning to remote work. Fortunately, the trend toward digital transformation means that many businesses had already begun to adopt cloud-based tools and policies. However, this abrupt switch to fully-remote work has sent both employees and IT departments scrambling. Moving an entire workforce home virtually overnight brings unique challenges. Individual employees need to set up home offices, often sharing Wi-Fi with family members. Teams need to develop collaboration strategies over distance. And security personnel must work to protect networks and data in a dramatically broadened…

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Working Remotely, What You Need to Know

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The COVID-19 crisis – Working remotely to help These are trying times. First, know that that your health and safety is the highest priority. Second, we’re all in this together so cooperation and our best efforts are required. We appreciate the leadership of local, state and federal government officials and the dedicated healthcare professionals on the front lines. With a united effort, we can overcome the challenges ahead and return to conditions of health and prosperity. That said, we want you to know that with the coronavirus outbreak impacting populations worldwide, it looks like we’re in this for the long…

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Stop Abbreviating 2020 and Essential Tech Tips for the New Year

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While you work on those resolutions to eat right and exercise, make a few resolutions for your business, as well. A fresh year presents the perfect opportunity to tighten security and run some much-needed maintenance. Protect your business with these basic tech tips for the new year. 1. Stop Abbreviating 2020 Commit now to writing out all four digits of the year. Writing “20” instead of “2020” leaves the door open for fraudsters. For example, suppose you sign a credit contract with the date 1/27/20. A bad actor could change the date to 1/27/2019 and attempt to collect an additional…

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How can Green Computing Energize Your Business in 2020?

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From recycling to water conservation and solar panels, the Green Movement touches many aspects of our lives. For small to medium businesses (SMB), going green often begins in the computer room. Not only is it environmentally responsible, but green computing makes good business sense. What does Green computing means? In basic terms, green computing involves reducing the environmental impact of technology. That means using less energy, reducing waste, and promoting sustainability. Green computing reduces the carbon footprint of a business and provides a reputation boost. From a budget perspective, eco-friendly computing can reduce energy and operational costs more than 30%….

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Is Private Browser Really Private? Short answer: No

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Is Private Browser Really Private? Short answer: No used with permission from Norton by Symantec by Alison Grace Johansen You probably expect your “private” browser to be private. It’s not. So-called private browsers are a standard feature of several web browsers, and have private-sounding names like Private Browsing, Private Tab, and Private Window. Using a private browsing mode can help you to do a lot of things, but maintaining total privacy isn’t one of them. That doesn’t mean they’re not useful. It’s important to understand what a private browser does, and does not, do. For instance, do you know that…

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How to stay protected before device recycling

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used with permission from Tektonika (HP) Donating devices like laptops, phones, and flash drives may seem like a noble thing to do—after all, it’s good for the environment and makes devices available at a lower price point for people who may not otherwise be able to afford them. However, device recycling can pose a serious and often overlooked security risk. Device security is a concern that has to be addressed before donating so you can trust that your personal information will remain protected. In a 2019 report, security operations company Rapid7 revealed the dangers of recycling and discarding devices. Researcher…

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Create a modern IT strategy as your CIO role evolves

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used with permission from Tektonika (HP) by Rose de Fremery As an IT leader, your job is growing more challenging by the day. Your IT strategy must be sophisticated and agile, balancing digital transformation priorities with security imperatives—and you probably have to stick to a lean budget too. What are the non-negotiable priorities you absolutely must include? Here’s a look at some of the most important IT issues that a modern CIO or CTO must tackle and why they matter to your success. 1. Enable digital maturity Digital transformation may be the buzzword phrase of the moment, but there’s a…

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How can you tackle network security on vacation?

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used with permission from Tektonika (HP) by Joe Hewitson The snow gently falls outside as you kick back in your Snuggie, ready to conquer that Netflix backlog. You’ve earned it! During the months leading up to winter, you vanquished any and all network security vulnerabilities threatening your digital kingdom, and now, your office is more secure than the Fortress of Solitude. But then, you look at your watch and realize the minutes are melting away, even though the outside world is freezing over. Days are getting shorter, and the seasons are changing. While you’ve admirably confronted office security head-on, cold…

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