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 #28:
Change Your Name, And I Don’t Mean The Last One

Too often we see e-mail usernames and prefixes the same across multiple free e-mail services.

For example:

• jimmy67chevy@aol.com
• jimmy67chevy@gmail.com
• jimmy67chevy@yahoo.com
• jimmy67chevy@icloud.com

This makes the work of hackers and cybercriminals way too easy. With the first part easy to figure out, they can get access to other online services and data or even spoof your e-mail addresses to others. Variety is the spice of life. Introduce it to your e-mail addresses.

This Tuesday Tidbits 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.

Contact us if you have any computer-related needs by visiting computer-center.com.

Microsoft Tips for Windows

Sign In With A Smile Using Windows Hello

Select Start > Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options. You’ll see a Windows Hello Face option if your PC supports it. Set it up to sign in with a glance.

Shortcut of the Week

Pin A Google Drive Document To The Bookmarks Bar

Any of the Google Drive documents from apps such as Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides can be pinned to the bookmarks bar.

• Open Google Drive.
 
• Open the document you would like to pin.
• Click the Bookmark this page icon on the right side of the address bar.
• In the small window that appears, select Bookmarks bar from the drop-down menu.
• After you’ve selected the Bookmarks bar, click the Done button.
• You should now see your document in the bookmarks bar.

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 #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.

This Tuesday Tidbits 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.

Contact us if you have any computer-related needs by visiting computer-center.com.

Microsoft Tips for Windows

Connect An Xbox Controller To Your PC

Plug a USB cable into your controller and plug the other end into your PC. The Xbox button will be lit when you’re connected and ready to go.

Shortcut of the Week

Shortcut To Select One Sentence In Word

In Microsoft Word, you can use a shortcut to select a sentence at a time. Press and hold down the Ctrl and click with your left mouse button at the end of the sentence you want to select or highlight.

Once a sentence is selected, let go of the Ctrl key. If you want to delete that sentence, press Del. You can also right-click the highlighted text to change its properties.

If you continue to hold down the Ctrl key after a sentence is selected, and click-and-drag that sentence, you can make a copy of that sentence.

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 #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.

This Tuesday Tidbits 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.

Contact us if you have any computer-related needs by visiting computer-center.com.

Microsoft Tips for Windows

See Your PC On TV Without Wires

Make sure your TV or other wireless display is turned on. On your PC, select action center > Connect, and then select the name of your TV or display. After you’re connected, you’ll see the same things on both screens.

Shortcut of the Week

How To Access Shut Down Menu

If you need to log off of a Windows account, change users, or shut down or restart Windows:

1. Press the Windows key+D to go to the desktop, and then press Alt+F4 to bring up the Shut down menu.
2. Use the arrow keys to select the appropriate action, press Tab until OK is highlighted, and then press Enter.

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 laptops 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 Tuesday Tidbits 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.

Contact us if you have any computer-related needs by visiting computer-center.com.

Microsoft Tips for Windows

Protect Your Touchscreen

Scratches, dust, and UV light can affect touchscreen performance, so don’t leave it out in the direct sun for a long time and keep it covered when traveling around or if you’re not using it.

Shortcut of the Week

YouTube Keyboard Shortcuts – Turn Up Or Down The Volume

When in full-screen mode, pressing the up ↑ or down ↓ arrow keys turns up and down the volume of the video. If you are turning down the volume and continue to hold the down arrow key, it will eventually mute the volume.

Pressing M on the keyboard also mutes and unmutes the volume.

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.

Contact us if you have any computer-related needs by calling (608) 755-1524 or visiting computer-center.com.

Microsoft Tips for Windows

Keep Your Favorite People Nearby

Use People to keep important contacts right on your taskbar, so they’re always within reach when you want to chat.

People pulls in contact info from apps like Skype and Mail. Once you’ve connected those apps, use People to find your favorites and pin them to the taskbar for easy access.

Shortcut of the Week

YouTube Keyboard Shortcuts – Turn On Or Off Closed Captions And Subtitles

If a video has closed captions or subtitles, you can turn them on by pressing the C key. Pressing C a second time turns them off again.

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.

Contact us if you have any computer-related needs by calling (608) 755-1524 or visiting computer-center.com.

Microsoft Tips for Windows

Get Editing Tips In Word

Need your work reviewed? Select Review > Check document. Check your spelling, grammar, and get suggestions on how to improve your text.

Shortcut of the Week

YouTube Keyboard Shortcuts – Switch The Video To Full-screen Or Theater Mode

Pressing the F key switches between full-screen and normal mode.
Pressing esc also exits full-screen mode.

Pressing the T key switches between theater mode and normal mode.

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. “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.

Contact us if you have any computer-related needs by calling (608) 755-1524 or visiting computer-center.com.

Microsoft Tips for Windows

Charge Everything At Once

Take a look at the power supply that came with your Surface. Most models have a USB charging port built in, so you can plug in your phone at the same time you’re charging your Surface.

Shortcut of the Week

YouTube Keyboard Shortcuts – Change Video Playback Speed

To decrease the playback speed of a video, hold down the Shift and press the , (comma) key.

To increase the playback speed of a video, hold down the Shift and press the . (period) key.

Jason’s Tech Corner

Ars Technica reports an employee for security company ADT accessed cameras of over 200 customer accounts more than 9600 times without their permission or knowledge. He noted accounts for attractive women for his later reference, and viewed their cameras for entertainment, watching nude couples having sex.

These customers had equipment like lights, alarms, and cameras linked to their ADT accounts. The employee added himself to a list of users authorized to view and manage these devices, sometimes with the customers’ knowledge, and sometimes without. The system lacked safeguards such as multi-factor authentication or text alerts when the account was accessed.

This episode is a good reminder of the risks of internet-connected cameras and microphones in the home or other locations with a reasonable expectation of privacy. Those who choose to install such equipment need to educate themselves on their use and know how to protect their privacy, and understand the risks of their use.

Ars Technica: Home alarm tech backdoored security cameras to spy on customers having sex https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2021/01/home-alarm-tech-backdoored-security-cameras-to-spy-on-customers-having-sex/

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).

Contact us if you have any computer-related needs by calling (608) 755-1524 or visiting computer-center.com.

Microsoft Tips for Windows

Create A Theme

Show your personality on your PC. Select Start ⊞ > Settings > Personalization > Themes to get started.

Shortcut of the Week

Fast Forward Or Rewind

Pressing the number keys from 1 to 9 seeks (jumps) to that percentage of the video. In other words, 1 jumps to 10%, 2 jumps to 20%, 3 jumps to 30%, 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