Blue Ridge Technology

Is this the ultimate browser for business? Microsoft is out with another new business-friendly tool: Edge for Business . It may not be the most dramatic, awe-inspiring name for a new piece of software, but it’s a pretty significant development — one that could be a big help to your business, in the right circumstances. So what is Microsoft Edge for Business? And what are the reasons a business should — or shouldn’t — switch? What is Microsoft Edge for Business? Microsoft Edge for Business is pretty much what it sounds like: it’s a version of Microsoft’s Edge web browser, but built specifically for business customers rather than at-home consumers. Benefits of Switching to Edge for Business Edge for Business delivers a lot of value in the right circumstances. Here are a few exclusive features or benefits you’ll have access to if you switch. Separation between Work and Personal Browsing One of the big new features is a “wall of separation” between personal and work browsing. With an incre...

Windows 11 optional update: Why it’s better to wait Microsoft recently announced an optional update to Windows 11. It isn’t the first one, and it won’t be the last. If you’re an Apple user (whether at home or at work), you might know about Apple’s relatively famous beta program, where users can try out the next version of iOS, iPadOS, or MacOS before it’s released. These optional updates and betas promise new, exciting features. But is it a good idea to install them on your work devices? Quick answer: almost always no. Here’s what you need to know about these prerelease updates — and how you can make sure your work machines stay up to date safely. How Windows Updates Work in Windows 11 Before we explain why the optional update usually isn’t a good idea, we need to explain how Windows Updates work. With older versions of Windows, the Windows Update utility had quite a reputation. It’d take over your computer, sometimes for hours at a time, to install an update to the operating system. U...

Young employees have different attitudes to cybercrime. If you look at your team as a whole, how would you say they think about cybercrime? Hopefully you’ve taken the time to get them educated; maybe we’ve even stopped in and done some of that training. But do you think all members of your team understand the threats equally well, and take those threats as seriously as you should? Most managers and business owners would say a quick “no” here— and we agree. But maybe not for the reasons you’d think. Conventional wisdom says your older employees might not get this cybersecurity stuff as easily, and since they aren’t digital natives, they may be more likely to fall for a scam. On the flip side, your younger employees live and breathe tech, so they’re going to be pretty safe. Right? That’s not what the latest studies are showing. Younger People Too Carefree About Cybersecurity A recent study discovered that among people 16 to 19 years old, attitudes about cybersecurity are pretty lax. It s...

Will your business be able to keep up with the pace of change? It’s hard to believe, but we’re almost to a new year (again!). We’re all starting to look toward what next year has in store— whether in personal development (the dreaded new year’s resolutions) or in our businesses. As we push onward into the new year, the pace of business technology innovations isn’t slowing down. If anything, it’s moving faster than ever. Here are a few of the biggest business tech developments and trends that will shape the next year — or even the next decade — of how business gets done. Process Automation Grows in Importance and Capability First, expect process automation to take off, even more than it already has. Business process automation isn’t new; it’s been happening in physical manufacturing for decades, and the software variety is already happening in mid- to large-sized companies. In fact, process automation is probably already a part of your routine in small, less noticeable ways. For example...

Microsoft’s taking a responsible leadership position on AI AI has been all over the news lately, with questions about whether some of the most advanced AIs are approaching sentience. ( They aren’t , according to most experts in the space, contrary to the alarmist view of one ex-Google AI expert. No Skynet anytime soon, phew!) AI is popping up in all sorts of useful ways throughout the business world. The everyday examples are quality-of-life improvements like AI-powered design recommendations in Microsoft PowerPoint and the machine learning-powered text to speech and voice assistants on our smartphones. On the more advanced end, machine learning and AI are solving complex business intelligence and data analytics problems and even assisting human agents in determining eligibility for loans or picking the best candidates for a job. Here’s the thing, though: on all fronts, there are all kinds of ethical issues to worry about, including AIs that end up adopting racist or sexist biases. Th...