Blue Ridge Technology

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...

Can your business go green by switching to the cloud? While it isn’t a universal solution that makes sense in every single situation, switching to the cloud can deliver all sorts of benefits to many businesses. But what about its effect on your carbon footprint? Does a cloud migration help you go green, or does it just shift the ecological burden around? If you’re concerned about your environmental impact and are looking at your network and IT environment in that light, here’s what you need to know about the cloud. The Cloud and the Environment If you’re running everything in-house, you can probably get a read on how much your servers and so on are costing you. You can measure the electricity, and that’s a pretty good start. Yes, there are other environmental considerations, like how the hardware you’re using was made, but we’ll set those aside for a moment. Sometimes there’s this idea that moving to the cloud makes those impacts go away. The short answer: that’s not how this works. Mo...

Charging in public places? Watch out for “juice jacking” “Juice jacking” has been in the news lately. Do you know what this threat is, and how to stay safe? And just how much of a threat is it, anyway? Here’s everything you need to know about how to keep your devices safe, even when traveling. What Is Juice Jacking? Juice jacking refers to a type of cyberattack that happens when people charge their devices. USB ports and chargers are the new standard; practically every new phone charges via USB-C, and so do many modern laptops. Juice jacking is a somewhat sophisticated technique where the bad guys compromise or hack a USB port that looks like a charger, like a charging station at an airport. When you plug into the compromised port, you may or may not get charged up. But if the hack is successful, you may also pick up malware or other nasty elements. How Does It Work? Unfortunately, USB ports and cables do more than just send electricity through to your battery. They also carry data. (i...

Microsoft hints at some exciting Windows 12 developments It may seem like it’s only been a few months since Windows 11 hit the scene. But believe it or not, we’ve already had access to Microsoft’s latest operating system since the fall of 2021. In OS years, that means we’re already far enough into Windows 11’s life cycle that people are starting to talk about Windows 12. If the rumor mill is correct, the next iteration of Windows could be coming sooner than you think. Here’s everything we know so far. When Will Windows 12 Be Released? We don’t know for sure when Windows 12 will be released — or even if it will be called Windows 12. But there are rumblings (though thinly sourced ) that it could arrive as soon as 2024. That’s really fast: Windows 10 had a six-year run, and Windows 11 could be replaced in just over three. New Features to Expect in Windows 12 Based on what Microsoft is doing in other products and a handful of preview announcements, we have some educated guesses about what ...

Criminals are exploiting AI to create more convincing scams We wrote a couple of months ago about the dark side of generative AI . In that post we showed you a few ways that these new chatbots and other AI-powered generative technologies could do harm. Some of the things we talked about — like damaging your search engine optimization (SEO) or how generative AI generally has a loose relationship with telling the truth — aren’t exactly malicious or nefarious. They’re just things you need to know before you jump into using these tools. But other concerns do have some potential for malicious use and could be abused by criminals and bad actors. A few months ago, “could” was the operative word — but not anymore. Now it’s happening pretty much like we predicted. Here’s what you need to know about 3 new tactics criminals are already using to weaponize generative AI. 1. Phishing Emails Are Getting Harder to Spot In the past, most phishing emails had some tell-tale signs, like questionable gram...

3 essential security tools for every business Cybersecurity never stops moving — because neither do the attackers and digital threats that could hamper or even bring down your business. It’s easy for cybersecurity policies, procedures, and technology to get complicated in a hurry. And it can be enough to cause small business leaders to throw their hands up in frustration. If you need advanced cybersecurity protections, we’re here to help. But sometimes it’s smart to get back to basics, and that’s what we’re doing in this week’s post. Below are three basic security tools that every digitally connected small business must have in place. Do you have all three of these, and are they working the way you’d like? 1. A Firewall (or a Secure Web Gateway, or Both) The first line of defense for most businesses is a firewall. A firewall is a piece of hardware that sits as a gatekeeper of sorts between your network and the broader internet. The name comes from the analog equivalent: a thick, firepr...

Microsoft 365 makes Multi-Factor Authentication easier We wrote just last week about how crucial it is to implement multifactor authentication (MFA) wherever possible in your business. If you missed that post, check it out now (Have You Implemented MFA Yet? ) — we won’t rehash all of that news here. Still, we figure there’s a sizable group of businesses that fall into one of these categories: Still on the fence about MFA Convinced MFA is important but unsure how to get started In the middle of implementing MFA, and it’s not going well Already implemented MFA, but people are complaining or bypassing it If any of those sound familiar, we have great news: if you’re using Microsoft 365, things are about to get a lot easier. Here’s what you need to know. MFA Already Available Throughout Microsoft 365 First, it’s worth mentioning that MFA isn’t brand-new for M365 users. Microsoft already supported a few different kinds of next-gen authentication, including MFA. Maybe you never got around to ...