Covid-19 and Working Remotely
A How-To Technology Resource

Welcome to The Computer Center’s Covid-19 resource center for small businesses. Our focus is to provide you with the information you need to keep your business running, collaborate with your team, meet with customers, and make the best of the current situation by leveraging technology. Visit www.computer-center.com/covid19/ for access to more helpful information.

IT Security Tip #27:
Start With The Basics!

You’ve heard the advice countless times before: you must have antivirus software and a strong firewall. However, in this day and age, there is more to the security “basics” than a solid firewall. What about the employee who inadvertently clicks on an e-mail on her phone from a foreign ambassador trying to move money to the US. She sees it’s a scam, but it’s too late…her phone is infected and now sending a copy of every outgoing e-mail to a Russian crime network. Have you trained your employees? Don’t open an Excel attachment called “Invoice” from someone you don’t know – trust me, they’ll call you if you owe them money. A single crack in your armor can open the door for network attacks. Get serious about locking down your devices, e-mail filtering and teaching your users how to not lose last year’s P&L to a crime ring by trying to help a Nigerian prince.

Microsoft Tips for Office

Sign Your Messages With Style

In Outlook, open an email message and select Signature > Signatures > New. Name your signature, and then get creative with graphics, links, fonts, and colors.

Shortcut of the Week

Quickly Generate Text in Word

Type or copy and paste the text below.

=rand(8,10)

Once the above text is entered, press Enter and Microsoft Word will generate a bunch of text that can be used to test page formatting, fonts, etc.

Have an unfortunate co-worker that’s not getting a copy of the TCC Tuesday Tidbits? Forward them your copy. Or, better yet, have them sign up at https://computer-center.com/tuesdaytidbits/

Submit your TCC Tuesday Tidbit requests and ideas to me by calling (608) 755-1524.

Sincerely,

James Pearson, President The Computer Center 39 S. Main St. – Upper Janesville, WI 53545 (608) 755-1524

Covid-19 and Working Remotely
A How-To Technology Resource

Welcome to The Computer Center’s Covid-19 resource center for small businesses. Our focus is to provide you with the information you need to keep your business running, collaborate with your team, meet with customers, and make the best of the current situation by leveraging technology. Visit www.computer-center.com/covid19/ for access to more helpful information.

IT Security Tip #26:
Don’t Download ANYTHING
You’re not Authorized to Download

So you have a big file you need to get over to your printer YESTERDAY and you can’t get it to “send” via e-mail because the file is too big. What should you do? The right thing to do is contact your IT department (us!) so we can assist by installing a secure, commercial-grade file-sharing application. What you shouldn’t do is download a free copy of Dropbox or some other file-sharing software without telling us. Dropbox and other free apps come with a price: SECURITY. These applications are known for security vulnerabilities and hacks. Plus, if we don’t know about it, we can’t manage it or secure it; so the golden rule is this: NEVER download any software or application without checking with your IT department first!

Microsoft Tips for Office

Make a New Line in Word

Open a Word document and select Draw > Ink Editor. Draw a backward L shape. Any text after the shape moves to a new line.

Shortcut of the Week

Delete One Word at a Time

In Word you can delete one word at a time by placing the cursor behind the word you would like to remove and then press Ctrl and the Backspace key.

Have an unfortunate co-worker that’s not getting a copy of the TCC Tuesday Tidbits? Forward them your copy. Or, better yet, have them sign up at https://computer-center.com/tuesdaytidbits/

Submit your TCC Tuesday Tidbit requests and ideas to me by calling (608) 755-1524.

Sincerely,

James Pearson, President The Computer Center 39 S. Main St. – Upper Janesville, WI 53545 (608) 755-1524

Listen to The Computer Center’s President
James Pearson on WCLO 1230am 92.7fm

Visit our YouTube channel to hear The Computer Center’s President, James Pearson, talk about staying safe online while working from home.

IT Security Tip #25:
Do online banking? READ THIS!

If you do online banking, NEVER access your online account with a PC or device that you use to log in to social media sites or free e-mail accounts (like Hotmail) or to surf the web. Since these are all highly hackable, keeping one PC dedicated to online banking reduces your chances of getting a bank-account-hacking virus. Of course, that PC should have an antivirus installed, be behind a well-maintained and well-monitored firewall, have a strong password, and be monitored for suspicious activity.

Microsoft Tips for Office

Chat Within A Shared Word Doc

Collaborate even more closely while co-editing a document. When editing a shared Word doc in Microsoft 365, select the picture of someone who’s editing at the same time, and then select Chat.

Shortcut of the Week

Quickly Move Back To Previous Cursor Position In Word

Press Ctrl+Alt+Z in Windows or Command+Option+Z in macOS to automatically go back to where your cursor has been previously.

Have an unfortunate co-worker that’s not getting a copy of the TCC Tuesday Tidbits? Forward them your copy. Or, better yet, have them sign up at https://computer-center.com/tuesdaytidbits/

Submit your TCC Tuesday Tidbit requests and ideas to me by calling (608) 755-1524.

Sincerely,

James Pearson, President The Computer Center 39 S. Main St. – Upper Janesville, WI 53545 (608) 755-1524

Covid-19 and Working Remotely
A How-To Technology Resource

Welcome to The Computer Center’s Covid-19 resource center for small businesses. Our focus is to provide you with the information you need to keep your business running, collaborate with your team, meet with customers, and make the best of the current situation by leveraging technology. Visit www.computer-center.com/covid19/ for access to more helpful information.

IT Security Tip #24:
How to Keep Staff From
Unintentionally Causing a Security Breach

With so many access points, from cell phones to a laptop and home computers, how can anyone hope to keep their network safe from hackers, viruses, and other unintentional security breaches? The answer is not “one thing” but a series of things you have to implement and constantly be vigilant about, such as installing and constantly updating your firewall, antivirus, spam-filtering software, and backups. This is why clients hire us – it’s a full-time job for someone with specific expertise (which we have!).

Once that basic foundation is in place, the next most important thing you can do is create an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) and TRAIN your employees on how to use company devices and other security protocols, such as never accessing company e-mail, data or applications with unprotected home PCs and devices (for example). Also, how to create good passwords, how to recognize a phishing e-mail, what websites to never access, etc. NEVER assume your employees know everything they need to know about IT security. Threats are ever-evolving and attacks are getting more sophisticated and clever by the minute.

This e-mail series is one great way to keep your employees informed, but you STILL need a good AUP in place and training. If you’d like our help in creating one for your company, based on best practices, call us at 608-755-1524. You’ll be glad you did.

Microsoft Tips for Office

Give Feedback With a Digital Pen

Edit and mark up Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files with your Surface Pen or another digital pen. Look for the Draw menu. It’s a fast (and dare we say fun) way to give feedback.

Shortcut of the Week

Repeat the Last Action

Using the F4 key in Word and Excel allows you to repeat the last action. So if you changed the formatting in one paragraph and want to complete the same action elsewhere, highlight the area you would like changed and hit F4 to repeat the last action.

Have an unfortunate co-worker that’s not getting a copy of the TCC Tuesday Tidbits? Forward them your copy. Or, better yet, have them sign up at https://computer-center.com/tuesdaytidbits/

Submit your TCC Tuesday Tidbit requests and ideas to me by calling (608) 755-1524.

Sincerely,

James Pearson, President The Computer Center 39 S. Main St. – Upper Janesville, WI 53545 (608) 755-1524

Covid-19 and Working Remotely
A How-To Technology Resource

Welcome to The Computer Center’s Covid-19 resource center for small businesses. Our focus is to provide you with the information you need to keep your business running, collaborate with your team, meet with customers, and make the best of the current situation by leveraging technology. Visit www.computer-center.com/covid19/ for access to more helpful information.

IT Security Tip #23:
If you’ve ever said this,
you’re ASKING to be hacked!

Want to know what every hacker hopes you believe? “We’re small…nobody wants to hack us.” This is the #1 reason why people (companies) get hacked. They dismiss the importance of IT security because they’re only a “small business.” This is a lazy, irresponsible excuse.

One thing is for certain: NO ONE is immune to cybercrime. In fact, one in five small businesses falls victim to cybercrime and that number grows every year. Plus, half of all cyber-attacks are aimed at small businesses BECAUSE they make themselves low-hanging fruit with sloppy or non-existent security protocols.

And one more critical point to ponder: If YOU aren’t giving IT security the attention it deserves, how do you think your CLIENTS would feel about that? If for no other reason, you need to do it to protect your clients’ data, even if the only information about them you store is an e-mail address. If YOUR system gets compromised, hackers will now have access to your CLIENT’S e-mail and can use that for phishing scams and virus-laden spam. I’m sure your clients want you to be a good steward of their information and privacy, so stop lying to yourself and get serious about putting essential security practices in place.

Microsoft Tips for Office

Pep Up Your Pitch With Video

Copy the embed code of the online video you want to share. In PowerPoint, select Insert > Video > Online Video. Paste the embed code, and then click the arrow to insert the video.

Shortcut of the Week

Create Underlines in Word Without Text

Click in the spot you would like the underline to begin and press Ctrl+u. Then press the spacebar to get the underline going to the desired length followed by ending the line with an underscore. If you have a long underline to create, start with Ctrl+u, then click tab for the desired length and then finish off with spacebar and underscore to end the line.

An example of this would be Name: ________________.

Have an unfortunate co-worker that’s not getting a copy of the TCC Tuesday Tidbits? Forward them your copy. Or, better yet, have them sign up at https://computer-center.com/tuesdaytidbits/

Submit your TCC Tuesday Tidbit requests and ideas to me by calling (608) 755-1524.

Sincerely,

James Pearson, President The Computer Center 39 S. Main St. – Upper Janesville, WI 53545 (608) 755-1524

Covid-19 and Working Remotely
A How-To Technology Resource

Welcome to The Computer Center’s Covid-19 resource center for small businesses. Our focus is to provide you with the information you need to keep your business running, collaborate with your team, meet with customers, and make the best of the current situation by leveraging technology. Visit www.computer-center.com/covid19/ for access to more helpful information.

IT Security Tip #22:
The #1 Threat to Your Security Is…

YOU! And your employees. Like it or not, human beings are our own worst enemies online, inviting hackers, viruses, data breaches, data loss, etc., through the seemingly innocent actions taken every day online. In most cases, this is done without malicious intent – but if you as a manager or owner aren’t monitoring what websites your employees are visiting, what files they’re sending and receiving, and even what they’re posting in company e-mail, you could be opening yourself up to a world of hurt.

That’s because employees’ actions can subject the company they work for to monetary loss, civil lawsuits, data theft, and even criminal charges if they involve the disclosure of confidential company information, the transmission of pornography or exposure to malicious code.

One thing you can (and should) do is configure your firewall to document and monitor which websites users are visiting. Almost all enterprise-level firewalls have this ability built-in; you simply need to configure it and monitor the reports (something we can certainly help you with). But it’s up to you to set the rules, write it into an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP), TRAIN employees on what is and isn’t acceptable and then get them to sign the AUP.

Microsoft Tips for Office

Give Your Docs Visual Appeal

A unified font and color scheme make your document stand out. In Word, select Design > Themes. Point to themes to get a preview, then choose the one you like.

Shortcut of the Week

Closing All Open Files At Once

Close all open Microsoft Word and Excel files by holding down the Shift key and clicking “File” and then “Close All“.

Have an unfortunate co-worker that’s not getting a copy of the TCC Tuesday Tidbits? Forward them your copy. Or, better yet, have them sign up at https://computer-center.com/tuesdaytidbits/

Submit your TCC Tuesday Tidbit requests and ideas to me by calling (608) 755-1524.

Sincerely,

James Pearson, President The Computer Center 39 S. Main St. – Upper Janesville, WI 53545 (608) 755-1524

Covid-19 and Working Remotely
A How-To Technology Resource

Welcome to The Computer Center’s Covid-19 resource center for small businesses. Our focus is to provide you with the information you need to keep your business running, collaborate with your team, meet with customers, and make the best of the current situation by leveraging technology. Visit www.computer-center.com/covid19/ for access to more helpful information.

IT Security Tip #21:
3 Rules To Keeping Your Data Safe In The Cloud

If you’re using any kind of cloud application (and these days, who isn’t?), you are right to be concerned about data privacy and security. The company hosting your data is ultimately responsible for keeping hackers out of THEIR network, but most cloud breaches are due to USER ERROR. So it’s important that you, the user, are being smart about security. Here are a few things you can easily do to improve security in the cloud:

Maintain a STRONG password of at least eight characters with both uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. Do NOT make it easy, such as “Password123!” While that technically meets the requirements, a hacker could easily crack that.

Make sure the device you’re using to access the application is secure. This is an area where you need professional help in installing and maintaining a strong firewall, antivirus and spam-filtering software. Don’t access your cloud application with a device you also use to check social media sites and free e-mail accounts like Hotmail.

“Reverse”-backup your data. If the data in a cloud application is important, make sure you’re downloading it from the application and backing it up in another safe and secure location. That way, if your account is hacked or the data is corrupted, you have a copy.

Microsoft Tips for Office

Fill Cells In A Flash

After you type a few entries, Excel fills in the rest of the cells automatically. Press Enter to accept the suggestions.

Shortcut of the Week

Quickly Insert Hyperlinks

You can quickly insert a hyperlink in your Microsoft Word document, Excel spreadsheet, or PowerPoint presentation by highlighting text and pressing Ctrl+K together.

Have an unfortunate co-worker that’s not getting a copy of the TCC Tuesday Tidbits? Forward them your copy. Or, better yet, have them sign up at https://computer-center.com/tuesdaytidbits/

Submit your TCC Tuesday Tidbit requests and ideas to me by calling (608) 755-1524.

Sincerely,

James Pearson, President The Computer Center 39 S. Main St. – Upper Janesville, WI 53545 (608) 755-1524

Covid-19 and Working Remotely
A How-To Technology Resource

Welcome to The Computer Center’s Covid-19 resource center for small businesses. Our focus is to provide you with the information you need to keep your business running, collaborate with your team, meet with customers, and make the best of the current situation by leveraging technology. Visit www.computer-center.com/covid19/ for access to more helpful information.

IT Security Tip #20: You’ve Been HACKED!
What’s The First Thing You Should Do?

No matter how diligent you are about security, there’s always a chance you can get hacked. That’s why you need to put a plan in place NOW to protect yourself and your CLIENTS, so damage is minimized. But what should you do if you find out you’ve been hacked?

First, contact your IT department (us) IMMEDIATELY. The faster we can address the attack – and determine the extent of the data, applications, and machines compromised – the better your chances are of preventing much bigger problems. We’ll go to work on containing the attack and conducting a full scan of your network.

Based on what we discover, we may advise you to contact the local FBI office and your attorney. Your legal responsibilities depend greatly on the type of data accessed. For example, if medical, financial or other confidential records were stolen or accessed, you are legally responsible for notifying those individuals that their data was compromised (your attorney can best direct you on what you need to do and how to do it).

Microsoft Tips for Office

We Have the Resume for You

Forget the formatting – use a template. Word has dozens to choose from. In Word, select File > New, type Resume in the search box, and then press Enter.

Shortcut of the Week

Close All Open Files at Once in Microsoft Word and Excel

Close all open Microsoft Word and Excel files by holding down the Shift key and clicking “File” and then “Close All“.

Have an unfortunate co-worker that’s not getting a copy of the TCC Tuesday Tidbits? Forward them your copy. Or, better yet, have them sign up at https://computer-center.com/tuesdaytidbits/

Submit your TCC Tuesday Tidbit requests and ideas to me by calling (608) 755-1524.

Sincerely,

James Pearson, President The Computer Center 39 S. Main St. – Upper Janesville, WI 53545 (608) 755-1524

IT Security Tip #19: If You Handle, Process, or Store Client Credit Cards

If you handle, process or store credit cards in any manner, you are required to comply with PCI DSS or Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards. This is a set of LEGAL requirements you must abide by to maintain a secure environment. If you violate them, you will incur serious fines and fees. 

Are you subject to them if you take credit card payments over the phone? Absolutely! If you have clients that pay you directly by credit card, you’re subject to these laws. However, there are various levels of security standards – but thinking you don’t process enough to matter or that “no one would want to hack us” is dangerous. All it takes is an employee writing down a credit card number in an e-mail or on a piece of paper to violate a law; and then you’ll be left with legal fees, fines and the reputational damage incurred when you have to contact your clients to let them know you weren’t properly storing or handling their credit cards.

Getting compliant – or finding out if you ARE compliant – isn’t a simple matter I can outline in a 1-2-3-step checklist. It requires an assessment of your specific environment and how you handle credit card information.

A great resource is the PCI Security Standards Council or www.pcisecuritystandards.org. If you want assistance in figuring out if you’re compliant, call us at 608-755-1524 for a free assessment.

Microsoft Tips for Office

Sign Your Messages With Style

In Outlook, open an email message and select Signature > Signatures > New. Name your signature, and then get creative with graphics, links, fonts, and colors.

Shortcut of the Week

Insert hyperlinks into Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

You can quickly insert a hyperlink in your Microsoft Word document, Excel spreadsheet, or PowerPoint presentation by highlighting text and pressing Ctrl+K together.

Have an unfortunate co-worker that’s not getting a copy of the TCC Tuesday Tidbits? Forward them your copy. Or, better yet, have them sign up at https://computer-center.com/tidbits/

Submit your TCC Tuesday Tidbit requests and ideas to me by calling (608) 755-1524.

Sincerely,

James Pearson, President The Computer Center 39 S. Main St. – Upper Janesville, WI 53545 (608) 755-1524