Blue Ridge Technology

Chrome extensions are great for boosting productivity and saving time. But if they’re not the real deal, you could be at risk from malware. Watch our latest tech update to stay protected. We’re living in a golden age of device capabilities, aren’t we? Think about all the things your smartphone can do like it’s nothing, that 20 or 30 years ago would’ve required a separate piece of bulky, specialized (not to mention expensive!) hardware. We carry mini supercomputers in our pockets that serve as calculators, still and video cameras, gaming consoles, internet browsers, video playback devices, communication hubs, and more. There’s just one thing that still gets in the way of a truly seamless tech experience: compatibility. Compatibility Is Holding Us Back What do we mean by compatibility, exactly? Well, our various devices don’t always play nicely with each other. The go-to example is blue bubbles vs. green bubbles in the group chat, but this kind of incompatibility really shows up in the b...

1 in 4 of us struggles with password overload. Here’s the answer We all know the importance of keeping our businesses safe by making sure our employees understand how to recognize and avoid cyber threats. And most businesses with a digital presence at this point have responded to this reality by instituting some kind of cyber security awareness training. But there are still lots of questions here: what exactly should go into training like this? Why do businesses keep becoming victims in spite of their training policies? And how often should businesses go about it? Why Once a Year Isn’t Enough For many organizations that do cyber security training, the event has become routine, something that happens once a year. Unfortunately, it’s also something that rarely gets talked about outside that once-a-year event. That’s in part why once a year isn’t enough: something that most people find rather uninteresting and that only comes up once every 12 months just isn’t going to take hold. It isn’t...

For years now, Microsoft hasn’t exactly been winning the browser popularity contest, taking a distant third to Google Chrome and Apple Safari. But for several years now Microsoft has been working hard to shed its Internet Explorer-era reputation. And if you ask us, Microsoft Edge is a highly compelling browser, especially in the workplace. Microsoft is back at the innovation game, adding even more new business-friendly features to its Microsoft Edge internet browser. Here’s a rundown of what’s new. Take a look and consider whether any of these features or new capabilities could improve the way your business operates. In-Browser Split Screen First up is an interesting one: split screen, but within the browser itself. Many of us are familiar with using apps in split screen. Windows makes it super easy: you just grab a window, slam it toward the side of your monitor, and boom — you’re halfway to split screen. (I’m even writing this very blog post using a full-screen split screen view on ...

A new report claims that malware attacks are once again on the rise in 2024. This type of attack seems like it used to be all we talked about, but in recent years, it was dwarfed in popularity and frequency by phishing scams. Since the threat level of malware is rising, it's time to talk about it again. Here's what you need to know about malware attacks: what they are, why they matter, and what's different this time around. What Is Malware? Malware is a portmanteau of “malicious” and “software,” which pretty much explains the game: malware is software that runs on your computer just like any other software you would use, only this particular subset of software is malicious, dangerous, and usually installed without your consent or awareness. What Can Malware Do? All sorts of nasty things. Malware has the ability to do a wide range of things to your computer. It can act as a keylogger, which means recording every keystroke you make and sending that data back to the bad guys...

There’s a new, ultra-sneaky type of phishing attack on the rise. These attacks are harder than most to spot, and we’ve seen an absolutely massive spike in recent weeks, with as many as five million of these fraudulent emails reaching unsuspecting email inboxes every single day. This new attack is called SubdoMailing. In this week’s post we’ll explain what these attacks are, how they work, why they’re so hard to spot, and as always how to keep your business safe. What Is SubdoMailing? On one level SubdoMailing is simple: these attacks work in the same way as your everyday run of the mill phishing attacks. You get an email that urges you to click a button or link and take some action. The email looks like it’s from a brand you trust, like your bank or a popular business vendor (like Microsoft or DocuSign). But it’s not: it’s really from scammers who set up a lookalike site in an effort to steal your information. You click the link and attempt to log into the service, and that’s it — now ...

Today’s business gets done on devices, and for most of us, that means a work PC. Whether it’s a laptop, a desktop, or a 2-in-1, chances are you spend a decent chunk of your workday hammering away on a keyboard, getting work done. Even though our computers are central to our work, the fact is they don’t always work like we want them to. Many professionals can relate to the experience of dealing with a slow, unreliable PC, one that takes a while to start and frequently gets stuck as it tries to load the software you need to use. One option is replacement: every computer has a useful life that will end, after all. But before you go replacing your business’s fleet of PCs, it’s a good idea to do some troubleshooting to make sure they actually need to be replaced. Try these 3 troubleshooting strategies that can help your PC zoom back to life. If these don’t do the trick,then it really might be time to replace. (We can help with that, too.) Step 1: Restart Your Computer We know, we know — you...

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...

Three new Teams features to look forward to We love Microsoft Teams here at Blue Ridge Technology. In fact, we think it’s one of the smartest new products Microsoft has introduced in years. This powerful collaboration app offers the kind of instant, lightweight team-based communication businesses love from Slack, combined with reliable videoconferencing of Zoom or Skype. But under the hood, Teams goes far deeper than Slack or Zoom ever could. Microsoft’s app just has so much to offer — and its full integration with the rest of the Microsoft 365 office and productivity suite is a game changer for businesses already using 365. We aren’t the only ones that love Teams: the app now enjoys over 270 million users every single month. And Microsoft keeps innovating, regularly adding new features to Teams. This week, we’re sharing three upcoming features coming soon to your Teams environment so you’ll be ready to take full advantage when the updates hit. #1: Automatic SharePoint Updates The firs...

Three clever tricks to get more out of Teams Microsoft Teams is an impressively powerful productivity and collaboration app that’s included with every Office 365 and Microsoft 365 plan. We love the countless ways Teams is helping our customers work smarter and collaborate more naturally — whether their employees are on-site, remote, hybrid, or a mix of all three. Any app with a feature set as deep as Teams will have a bit of a learning curve. Users can easily get started with the basics without much guidance, but there are all sorts of hidden or less obvious tricks, shortcuts, and add-ons that can transform Teams into something even more powerful. Looking to get more out of Teams? Here are 3 great tricks you might not have heard of before. 1. Boost Your Own Messages with Mark as Important It’s great that businesses today have so many mechanisms for collaboration. But sometimes this proliferation can lead to notification overload. With chats and messages ringing in across multiple Teams...

Don’t pull the trigger just yet! In June 2021, Microsoft announced that a brand-new version of Windows was coming later in the year. While the tech press was expecting some sort of update, a full-fledged new major release of Windows was a surprise. But as we’ve all learned more about Windows 11, we’re growing more and more excited about the release. Your business will likely benefit from moving to Windows 11, but, in true Microsoft fashion, the rollout is going to be a bit complicated. Here’s what you need to know about the coming Windows 11 update — plus what you might need to do to get ready. When Is Windows 11 Releasing? Technically, it’s already here (as of October 5, 2021). Just not for everyone, all at once. Microsoft is taking a phased approach to the Windows 11 rollout, which makes a lot of sense in some technical ways, even if it’s going to frustrate some customers and users. In a nutshell, here’s what’s happening. Very recently purchased computers will get an automatic update...

There’s a false notion out there among small businesses that can be unimaginably dangerous. It goes something like this: “We don’t need to worry too much about cybersecurity. We’re so small, no one would want to hack us.” If you’ve ever been tempted to think something similar — and if your digital security efforts reflect this mentality — your business could be in danger. The truth is, small businesses are big targets for cybercriminals. Your small business isn’t too small to get hacked, and it may even be an especially enticing target. Here’s why, and some initial steps you should take. Fort Knox and Convenience Stores It’s tempting to think that hackers will always and only go after big, juicy, lucrative targets. And don’t get us wrong: hackers do go after big global corporations. Sometimes they even succeed. But everyday hackers are just as likely — if not more likely — to go after smaller targets. To understand why, we’ll use an analogy from offline crime. Which would you rather r...

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a security and authentication protocol that has grown significantly in popularity in the last few years. You’ve probably seen the term somewhere by now, and you may even have used it in your personal life. Now, it’s time to understand what this technology is and the basics of how it works. Because MFA has gone from “probably a good idea” to mission-critical: your business needs to switch to this more secure technology. Here’s why. Multi-Factor Authentication Defined Multi-factor authentication (MFA) s a method of establishing identity that requires more than one type, or factor, of identification. We know, this definition isn’t the most illuminating, so here’s an example or two. MFA is the technology in play when you log in to your bank or other secure site, and the website requires you to input a code that it texts or emails to you. Your login info is the first factor of identification or authentication, and the temporary code is the second. Or, wh...

Last week, we showed you three powerful Microsoft 365 apps that many businesses haven’t discovered yet. Bookings, Whiteboard, and Planner are already a part of your Microsoft 365 license, and they can drive incredible improvements to your workflow and processes. If you appreciated that post, we have good news: this week, we’re back with more. Check out three MORE lesser-known apps you already have access to in Microsoft 365! Power Automate Are you an efficiency freak who’s always looking for ways to speed up your work? Or have you ever noticed that your job requires you to repeat a series of tasks many times a day? If so, Power Automate (previously called Microsoft Flow) could save you some serious time and effort. Power Automate is an automation tool that you can use to create sequences of tasks or steps. It’s a take on macros, but it’s more powerful because it can integrate with multiple Microsoft 365 apps. Here’s an example: do you frequently make updates to a document, save the do...

Many businesses subscribe to Microsoft’s cloud-based office suite, Microsoft 365, because it’s the best way to keep up to date with some core Microsoft apps, like Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. Chances are, your company does, too. But what you may not know is that Microsoft has been steadily adding new apps to Microsoft 365 (formerly known as Office 365, and just Office Professional before that) for going on a decade now. In fact, it’s added so many new tools so quickly, that many businesses don’t use more than half of them. To be fair, not every app is as essential or robust as Word or Outlook. Still, quite a few of the lesser-known Microsoft 365 apps are worth a closer look. Many of them can improve efficiency, collaboration, and quality of life for a wide range of businesses. Over the next three weeks, we’ll be covering 10 of these lesser-known yet still incredibly powerful apps tucked away in Microsoft 365. We’ll start today with just three: Bookings, Whiteboard, and Planner. Booking...

Have you heard about the global chip shortage? It’s a serious problem, affecting everything from cars to iPhones to the equipment you need to keep your business running smoothly. But unless you follow tech news on your own time, you may not have heard about this problem or know what the ramifications might be at work. Here’s what you need to know about the global chip shortage, how we got here, and what your business needs to do to stay equipped. The Chip Shortage: What Is It? The global chip shortage is a supply chain problem caused by a lack of sufficient supply of the silicon microchips that power today’s electronics. These chips go by a variety of names: semiconductors, semiconductor chips, computer chips, and so on. And right now, manufacturers need more of these chips than the chipmakers can make. These chips are in nearly everything with a computing component, from household appliances to cars to consumer electronics. As a rule of thumb, if it has a screen, it has one or more ch...

Microsoft Teams is an impressive collaboration and workflow tool that has the potential to completely transform the way you interact with team members. It’s especially useful when you’re working with a distributed workforce, where some (or even all) members of your team aren’t in the same physical location. If you’re already using Teams, you know how powerful it can be. But did you know about these lesser-known tools from Microsoft that can further improve your productivity and workflow? Each of the tools we review below is already available to you if you have a Microsoft 365 subscription or license. And each tool integrates seamlessly with Teams, so you can keep everything running in the same ecosystem. Editor Your organization’s top-tier, public-facing content probably routes through an editor or proofreader (or someone with a better than average eye, at least). That’s because we all understand the importance of brand image: your company needs to look polished and professional at all...