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Some older versions of Outlook will soon stop working on Microsoft 365 soon.

Some older versions of Outlook will soon stop working on Microsoft 365 soon.

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Some older versions of Outlook will soon stop working on Microsoft 365 soon. Want us to check if you’ll be affected? 

Microsoft is making changes to the versions of Outlook that can connect to Microsoft 365 services. This is a huge deal because if your version is no longer supported, then it means certain features you’ve been enjoying for the past couple of years will no longer work. 

Further explaining what the move means, Microsoft said that from November 1 onwards, older versions of Outlook will no longer have support for basic authentication (that should improve the security of Microsoft 365, the company said). 

 “We’re working on adding support for HTTP/2 in Microsoft 365. HTTP/2 is a full duplex protocol, which decreases latency through header compression and request multiplexing. On the service side, we’ll be able to better prioritize requests and more effectively push data to clients,” it added. 

Get in touch and let’s talk 

ACUMEN IT
https://acumenit.com/
yourpartner@acumenit.com
(864) 271-7000 

#Outlook #Microsoft365 #UpdateYourSystem 

Black Friday might be No Tech Deals Friday this year, thanks to the global tech shortage

Black Friday might be No Tech Deals Friday this year, thanks to the global tech shortage

Black Friday might be No Tech Deals Friday this year, thanks to the global tech shortage

If you were hoping to snag some deals on coveted tech such as a PS5 or a new MacBook for Christmas in this year’s Black Friday or Cyber Monday sales, then it might be time for a harsh reality check.

There are a few reasons this will affect retailers over the coming monts. Firstly, that price inflation is a result of high demand meeting low availability, which we were already aware of given how hard it is to buy certain products like some of the best graphics cards right now.

And, of course, if production is getting more expensive for manufacturers, it’s understandable that they would be less inclined to slap a nice discount on their top-performing products in the run up to Christmas. As they say, these things will sell themselves.

ACUMEN IT
https://acumenit.com/
yourpartner@acumenit.com
(864) 271-7000

#BlackFriday #NotAGreatDayForTechDeals

Is Windows taking too much time to start?

Is Windows taking too much time to start?

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If Windows takes ages to start, maybe there’s too much software launching automatically on your business’s PCs. Our new video shows how to manage that.

The more software you have on your pc the longer it takes for windows to start. Why ? because when you install new software sometimes it adds itself to the list of startup apps and that means a lot of software is starting automatically when you reboot.

Your computer has a lot more to do and needs more time to do it. It’s simple to see which programs are opening on startup and stop them this works in the same way in both windows 10 and windows 11.

Open your settings app there are lots of ways to do this you can press the windows key and the i key at the same time or click the start button then the cogwheel also in the start menu you can look for the word settings and you can go to the search box and type settings; once you’re in settings go to apps then start up here’s all the software that can start automatically.

To stop something turn it off it really is that easy to decide which software to turn off look at the impact disabling the medium and high impact software will have the greatest effect on speeding up your computer at startup. If you’d prefer a specialist did this for you or perhaps wanted to manage which settings your staff can access we can help get in touch

Get in touch and let’s talk

ACUMEN IT
https://acumenit.com/
yourpartner@acumenit.com
(864) 271-7000

#windows #SpeedUpYourStartUp #imaginesafeit #acumenit #safepasswords #cybersecurity #datasecurity #phishing #ethicalhacking #cybersecurityawareness #malware #informationsecurity #infosec #ciberattack

Scary… 1 in 3 of us have tried to guess someone else’s password. And three quarters succeeded.

Scary… 1 in 3 of us have tried to guess someone else’s password. And three quarters succeeded.

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Scary… 1 in 3 of us have tried to guess someone else’s password. And three quarters succeeded.

A recent study conducted on more than 1,000 Americans has revealed one in three Americans have attempted to guess someone else’s password. Worryingly, in 73% of cases, that attempt to guess the password was successful.

People were most interested in gaining access to the accounts of their romantic partners.

Trying to stay vigilant to scams and protecting your passwords — even with a password vault, can become a layer of complexity too hard to manage — and if that happens, someone successfully guessing your password could be as easy as a walk in the park.

ACUMEN IT
https://acumenit.com/
yourpartner@acumenit.com
(864) 271-7000

#password1234 #WishIdUsedAStrongerPassword

Have you seen Microsoft's whiteboard app ?

Have you seen Microsoft’s whiteboard app ?

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Have you seen Microsoft’s Whiteboard app? It makes collaboration easier when you’re working remotely 

Microsoft has launched a new version of its Whiteboard app for Microsoft 365, with features designed to help people collaborate better, whether they’re working from the office or home.  

  • Boost creativity with rich and interactive content 

Collaboration powered by rich content is a key part of the new Whiteboard experience. This allows everyone to contribute in the way that best suits their idea, device type, or personal preference.  

  • Experience a unified modern look and feel 

With the introduction of so many new collaboration features and content types, Microsoft created a new user interface to support our ever-growing capabilities. 

  • Maximize creativity with ink for everyone 

Digital ink is an important part of whiteboarding, whether used to express your own ideas or to comment and annotate on another’s idea.  

  • Integrate seamlessly across Microsoft 365 

The new Whiteboard is now integrated into even more areas across Microsoft 365 to more seamlessly fit into your existing workflows.  

  • Microsoft also announced that it was expanding fluid components for Teams meetings, OneNote and Outlook to make collaboration easier across apps. 

ACUMEN IT
https://acumenit.com/
yourpartner@acumenit.com
(864) 271-7000

#imaginesafeit #acumenit #safepasswords #cybersecurity #datasecurity #phishing #ethicalhacking #cybersecurityawareness #malware #informationsecurity #infosec #ciberattack

Google makes it easier to understand what incognito mode is

Google makes it easier to understand what incognito mode is

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Google’s making it easier for you to see what incognito mode means. You’re not invisible online, but your browsing history is deleted  

Whether it’s Chrome, Firefox, or Safari, all modern browsers offer an incognito mode for private browsing. But while you can don the glasses-and-hat disguise to hide a bit, it won’t cover your tracks nearly as much as you might think. 

What is Incognito mode? 

Incognito mode is a private window within your regular browser — a place to surf the internet without your history being saved on your device when your browsing session ends. Cookies, which are little bits of identifying data that follow you around the internet, and other traces from your browsing history aren’t saved either after you end your private browsing session. 

Google is in the process of updating the wording of the introductory text that appears on new Incognito tabs. The change is coming to both the desktop and mobile versions of the company’s web browser, and the updated text makes it much clearer that using Incognito Mode does not mean that you are invisible online. 

With the updated wording, new Incognito tabs advise users about what will happen to certain browsing data when the tabs are closed. 

ACUMEN IT
https://acumenit.com/
yourpartner@acumenit.com
(864) 271-7000

#imaginesafeit #acumenit #safepasswords #cybersecurity #datasecurity #phishing #ethicalhacking #cybersecurityawareness #malware #informationsecurity #infosec #ciberattack

Windows 11 will fix right click problem

Windows 11 will fix right click problem

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Windows 11 is expected to go on sale this holiday season, and those who upgrade can look forward to a bevy of improvements to the way Windows works. One of the more exciting upgrades is coming to a small Windows tool that’s easy to overlook, even though Windows users probably see it at least a dozen times a day: the Window context menu.

Microsoft explains that the context menu has “grown in an unregulated environment for 20 years, since Windows XP, when IContextMenu was introduced.” As a result, it has many issues, including related commands being far apart, showing commands that almost no one uses, and the most common commands being far away from where the menu opens. Microsoft worked to address these issues in Windows 11. 
ACUMEN IT
https://acumenit.com/
yourpartner@acumenit.com
(864) 271-7000

#imaginesafeit #acumenit #safepasswords #cybersecurity #datasecurity #phishing #ethicalhacking #cybersecurityawareness #malware #informationsecurity #infosec #ciberattack

Bogus crypto-mining apps infest Google Play

Bogus crypto-mining apps infest Google Play

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100,000 people (and counting) have been scammed by fake crypto-mining apps on Android. Apps that promised cloud-based mining services for a fee — but delivered nothing. 

These fake Android apps target those interested in earning virtual coins by urging them to invest money into a cloud-mining operation. All eight of the recently removed apps turned out to harbor malware, detected as FakeMinerPay and FakeMinerAd. 

The apps included: 

BitFunds – Crypto Cloud Mining 

Bitcoin Miner – Cloud Mining 

Bitcoin (BTC) – Pool Mining Cloud Wallet 

Crypto Holic – Bitcoin Cloud Mining 

Daily Bitcoin Rewards – Cloud Based Mining System 

Bitcoin 2021 

MineBit Pro – Crypto Cloud Mining & btc miner 

Ethereum (ETH) – Pool Mining Cloud 

“Sadly, some of these apps, like BitFunds, has been downloaded more than 100,000. If that wasn’t bad enough, some of the apps required a fee. Crypto Holic – Bitcoin Cloud Mining costs $12.99 to download, while Daily Bitcoin Rewards – Cloud Based Mining System costs $5.99. 

What you can, and can’t, do about this. Needless to say, if you have any of these apps on your Android phone, go into Settings > Apps & Notifications and select and uninstall them. If you’ve paid for these apps and/or their services and subscriptions using a credit card, contact your financial institution to have the chargers reversed.  

But if you paid using Bitcoin or Ethereum tokens, you are most likely out of luck. 

ACUMEN IT
https://acumenit.com/
yourpartner@acumenit.com
(864) 271-7000

#imaginesafeit #acumenit #safepasswords #cybersecurity #datasecurity #phishing #ethicalhacking #cybersecurityawareness #malware #informationsecurity #infosec #ciberattack #cryptocurrency

Have you fallen into the phishing trap?

Have you fallen into the phishing trap?

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Even highly skilled IT professionals fall for phishing attacks. Are you worried about your team clicking a bad link by mistake? 

With the significant growth of internet usage, people increasingly share their personal information online. As a result, an enormous amount of personal information and financial transactions become vulnerable to cybercriminals. Phishing is an example of a highly effective form of cybercrime that enables criminals to deceive users and steal important data. Since the first reported phishing attack in 1990, it has evolved into a more sophisticated attack vector. At present, phishing is considered one of the most frequent examples of fraud activity on the Internet. 

Security vendor Ivanti quizzed over a thousand enterprise IT professionals across the US, UK, France, Germany, Australia, and Japan, finding nearly three-quarters (74%) of organizations claimed to have fallen victim to a phishing attack in the last year. 

As many as 40% confirming they were victimized in the last month alone. 

What can you do about it? 

Even the most secure organizations can fall victim to phishing scams with a click of a link. Educating your end-users is an investment that your business must take in order to stay secure, especially in today’s hybrid work environments.   

Not sure where to start? Let us help. Contact Acumen IT and let us show you how to get started. 

ACUMEN IT
https://acumenit.com/
yourpartner@acumenit.com
(864) 271-7000

#smallbusinesssecurity #acumenit #safepasswords #cybersecurity #datasecurity #phishing #ethicalhacking #cybersecurityawareness #malware #informationsecurity #infosec #ciberattack

What's new in Windows 11

What’s new in Windows 11

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Windows 11 is the next evolution of Windows; it is the most significant update to the Windows operating system since Windows 10. It offers many innovations focused on enhancing end-user productivity in a fresh experience that is flexible and fluid. Windows 11 is designed to support today’s hybrid work environment and intended to be the most reliable, secure, connected, and performant Windows operating system ever. 

With Windows 11, Microsoft has realized Windows should be a powerful desktop operating system. From improved multi-window multitasking, better support for multiple monitors to PC gaming improvements, Microsoft is embracing the reality of the PC—and making it better. 

Here are a few of the standout new features in Windows 11: 

Microsoft Teams integration. Teams are getting a face-lift and will be integrated directly into the Windows 11 Taskbar, making it easier to access. 

Xbox tech for better gaming. Windows 11 will get certain features found in Xbox consoles, like Auto HDR and DirectStorage, to improve gaming on your Windows PC. 

Better virtual desktop support. Windows 11 will let you set up virtual desktops in a way that’s more similar to macOS, toggling between multiple desktops for personal, work, school, or gaming use. 

A new, more “Mac-like” interface. Windows 11 features a clean design with rounded corners, pastel shades, and a centered Start menu and Taskbar. 

Integrated Android apps. Android apps will be coming to Windows 11 and installable from within the new Microsoft Store via the Amazon Appstore. 

Widgets. You can now access widgets directly from the Taskbar and personalize them to see whatever you’d like. 

ACUMEN IT
https://acumenit.com/
yourpartner@acumenit.com
(864) 271-7000

#imaginesafeit #acumenit #safepasswords #cybersecurity #datasecurity #phishing #ethicalhacking #cybersecurityawareness #malware #informationsecurity #infosec #ciberattack

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