The usage of apps and web tools by employees has been on the rise, with each department typically relying on approximately 40-60 different digital tools. Surveys indicate that 71% of employees believe the abundance of apps complicates their work, leading to a phenomenon known as "app fatigue." This growing issue poses significant cybersecurity risks, as individuals become overwhelmed by the constant influx of notifications and are more likely to disregard them. Consider the multitude of digital alerts individuals encounter on a daily basis, including software apps on computers, web-based SaaS tools, permitted website alerts, mobile apps, email banners, text messages, and team communication tools. Furthermore, the duplication of notifications across multiple devices exacerbates the problem, resulting in various challenges that impede productivity and compromise cybersecurity.
One of the consequences of app fatigue is that employees begin to ignore important updates. With constant interruptions from digital alerts, individuals often feel perpetually behind and tend to overlook seemingly insignificant tasks, such as installing app updates. Overwhelmed by numerous app alerts, employees may dismiss them hastily, believing they cannot spare the time or unsure of the time investment required. However, ignoring device updates can be perilous, as these updates often contain critical security patches that address vulnerabilities. Neglecting to install these patches increases the risk of successful cyberattacks and compromises the security of both the device and the network. Password security is another casualty of app fatigue. As employees are required to create multiple SaaS accounts, the likelihood of password reuse increases. Research suggests that passwords are reused approximately 64% of the time, making them vulnerable to hacking attempts. Credential breaches serve as a primary cause of cloud data breaches, as hackers can easily crack weak passwords. The reuse of passwords across multiple accounts further amplifies the security risks. Moreover, app fatigue may lead employees to disable or turn off important alerts. While it is acceptable to disable less critical notifications, such as updates in group threads, disabling essential security alerts is highly detrimental. At a certain point, the constant barrage of push notifications becomes overwhelming, prompting individuals to deactivate alerts across all apps. Unfortunately, this action also includes crucial notifications, such as warnings from anti-malware apps regarding newly discovered viruses. To address app fatigue, it is crucial to implement strategies that empower individuals to manage their technology effectively. While regressing to a time before the proliferation of apps is unrealistic, organizations can adopt several measures to mitigate its impact: 1. Streamline Business Applications: Opting for a reduced number of apps is advantageous both in terms of productivity and security. The fewer apps in use, the lower the associated risks, including password management and notification overload. Companies should evaluate their toolset to identify redundancies and eliminate overlapping functions. Consider employing comprehensive platforms like Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, which integrate multiple work tools under a single login. 2. IT Team-Managed Notifications: Users often struggle to prioritize essential notifications amidst the deluge of alerts. To address this, the IT team can configure app notifications on behalf of users. This ensures that employees receive vital notifications without being inundated. 3. Automated Application Updates: Automating device and software updates is a cybersecurity best practice. By taking this responsibility out of employees' hands, organizations enhance productivity by eliminating unnecessary updates from their view. Employing a managed services solution for automating device updates improves security and reduces the risk of vulnerable apps compromising the network. 4. Establish Two-Way Communication About Alerts: Employees may hesitate to disable alerts due to fear of potential repercussions. Simultaneously, managers may be unaware of the negative impact constant app alert interruptions have on productivity. It is essential to foster open communication with employees, emphasizing that they can approach management with their concerns. This facilitates discussions on effective alert usage and optimal ways to manage alerts for a more productive work environment. If your organization is struggling with taming the cloud app environment and optimizing its efficiency, consider seeking assistance from NextGEN IT Solutions. We specialize in consolidating and optimizing cloud app environments, offering tailored solutions to meet your specific needs. Contact us today for expert guidance in this complex domain. You might be surprised to learn that even a child's toy or a simple trash can can potentially lead to a breach of your personal data. While people often focus on securing their computers and cloud accounts, it's important to recognize that everyday objects can also be used by hackers and thieves to access your personal information. While having strong passwords and using antivirus software on your PC are essential, it's equally crucial to be aware of other potential vulnerabilities that could compromise your data security.
At NextGEN IT Solutions, we understand the importance of protecting your personal information from various threats. That's why we want to highlight six common objects that criminals can exploit to steal your information: 1. Old Smartphones: Many people replace their smartphones approximately every two and a half years, leaving behind a significant number of old devices containing personal data. Consider the vast amount of information stored on mobile phones, including synced connections with cloud services, banking apps, business apps, and personal health apps. With the advancement of chip technology, smartphones can now store documents, spreadsheets, photos, and videos. Cybercriminals can strike gold by finding an old smartphone, often ending up in charity shops or the trash. To protect yourself, it's crucial to properly clean old phones by erasing all data and disposing of them responsibly. Electronics should never be thrown away with regular garbage. 2. Wireless Printers: In today's world, most printers are wireless and connected to your home or work network. While the convenience of printing from another room is undeniable, the fact that printers connect to the internet can leave your data at risk. Printers can store sensitive documents such as tax paperwork or contracts, yet many people overlook data security when it comes to printers. This oversight can leave them vulnerable to hacking, enabling cybercriminals to access data from the printer and potentially breach other devices on the same network. To protect your data, it's crucial to keep your printer's firmware updated by promptly installing any available updates. Additionally, turning off the printer when not in use prevents unauthorized access. 3. USB Sticks: Have you ever come across a USB stick lying around? Perhaps you thought you had stumbled upon a free removable storage device, or you wanted to return it to its rightful owner as a good Samaritan. However, plugging in a USB device of unknown origin into your computer can be a risky move. Hackers often plant malware on these sticks and intentionally leave them as bait. Once you plug an infected USB stick into your device, it can instantly infect your system. To mitigate this risk, it's important to refrain from plugging in USB devices of unknown origin and to exercise caution when handling such devices. 4. Old Hard Drives: When disposing of old computers or removable drives, it's crucial to ensure that they are properly cleaned. Simply deleting your files is not sufficient, as computer hard drives can still store personal data in system and program files. Moreover, if you are still logged into a browser, a significant amount of personal data could be at risk. Browsers store passwords, credit card information, browsing history, and more, making it imperative to take appropriate steps to safeguard this data. Seeking assistance from an IT professional to thoroughly erase your computer drive ensures that it is safe for disposal, donation, or reuse. 5. Trash Can: Identity theft criminals are not limited to online activities; they can also exploit opportunities presented by your trash can. It's essential to be cautious about what you throw out. Garbage often contains pre-approved credit card offers, which you may consider "junk mail." However, your trash can also hold voided checks, old bank statements, insurance paperwork, and other items that can provide thieves with the information they need to commit fraud or assume your identity. To mitigate this risk, using a shredder is your best friend. Shred any documents containing personal information before discarding them, as this additional step can save you from a potentially costly incident. 6. Children's IoT Devices: Toys such as electronic bears, smartwatches for kids, and Wi-Fi-connected dolls might seem innocuous, but hackers are attracted to these devices. For instance, Mattel's Hello Barbie was found to enable the theft of personal information and even allowed hackers to spy on families through its microphone. These futuristic toys are often highly desired by children, but their data security aspects are often overlooked by parents. Unfortunately, children's toys can be easier to hack, making them a prime target for cybercriminals. When introducing any new internet-connected device into your home, including toys, it's important to be cautious. Install all firmware updates promptly and conduct thorough research to determine if the toy has been involved in any data breaches. At NextGEN IT Solutions, we prioritize the security of your personal information. We encourage you to take proactive steps to safeguard your data. In addition to adopting best practices for securing your everyday objects, such as smartphones, printers, USB sticks, hard drives, and trash cans, we recommend scheduling a home IT security audit with our expert team. Our comprehensive audit will assess your home IT infrastructure, identify potential vulnerabilities, and provide tailored recommendations to enhance your security measures. With NextGEN IT Solutions by your side, you can sleep better at night knowing your personal information is secure. Contact us today to schedule your home IT security audit. ![]() Scheduling appointments is an essential activity for various professionals and businesses across different industries. From salespeople arranging virtual meetings to answer product inquiries, to software companies facilitating live demos, and telehealth therapists offering video sessions for clients, the ability to efficiently manage appointments is crucial. Recognizing this need, Microsoft Teams has introduced a new feature called Virtual Appointments, which promises to streamline the appointment scheduling and management process, particularly for customer engagements. The integration of Microsoft's scheduling app, Bookings, with Teams makes the Virtual Appointments function seamless, providing users with a comprehensive and convenient meeting platform. Whether you are already using Teams or a different online appointment app, this new feature is designed to enhance your experience and simplify the way you schedule and conduct B2C meetings. 1. Manage Scheduled Appointments: Virtual Appointments provides users with a single view of all their scheduled appointments, allowing for easy management of cancellations and time changes. This centralized view simplifies the task of keeping track of appointments and ensures that any adjustments can be made effortlessly. 2. Send Customized Confirmations & Reminders: To personalize the customer experience, Virtual Appointments enables users to send customized messages to customers via SMS or email. This customization can be particularly useful in conveying important information related to the appointment. Additionally, automation features can be utilized to provide a personal touch without the need for manual message sending. Automated appointment reminders are another valuable time-saving function, ensuring that customers are reminded of their upcoming appointments in a timely manner. 3. Customized Waiting Room: Virtual Appointments allows users to add a personal touch to their virtual engagements by customizing the Teams waiting room. Through themes and logos, businesses can brand their virtual meeting environment, creating a professional and cohesive experience for customers. Moreover, the waiting room provides an opportunity for interaction with attendees while they await the start of the appointment. This feature proves especially beneficial if the previous appointment is running longer than expected, as users can communicate with waiting attendees, assuring them that they will be attended to promptly. 4. Meeting Follow-ups: Following virtual appointments, Virtual Appointments enables users to send meeting follow-ups, reducing the time it takes to provide any promised information to customers. By consolidating all details in a single place, users can easily refer back to the communication trail with clients, ensuring a streamlined and organized approach to post-appointment follow-ups. 5. Organization & Department Analytics: To gauge the effectiveness of appointments and assess their impact on sales, it is crucial to have a reliable tracking system in place. Virtual Appointments offers premium analytics features that provide detailed reporting and insights into B2C virtual appointments across various departments within an organization. This visibility empowers businesses to evaluate the success of their appointment-based activities and make data-driven decisions for continuous improvement. To leverage the Virtual Appointments feature in Teams, admins must set up a few key elements. Admins with Bookings admin access have the ability to configure the necessary settings and get started with Virtual Appointments:
1. Create a Calendar: Within the Virtual Appointments app, admins can choose the "Create a calendar" option available on the Home tab. For larger organizations, it may be advantageous to create separate calendars for different departments, ensuring effective management and organization. 2. Add Staff: Admins can add staff members to the Virtual Appointments system, with a capacity to accommodate up to 100 individuals. Each staff member can be assigned a specific role within the system. By adding staff members, admins gain visibility into their availability both in Teams and Outlook, facilitating efficient scheduling and coordination. 3. Create Appointment Types: Appointment types can be customized to suit specific requirements. The two available options include "Scheduled" and "On-demand" appointments. With the "Scheduled" option, users can schedule specific dates and times for appointments, and this information is automatically added to the email confirmations sent to customers. On the other hand, the "On-demand" option, available with Teams Premium, enables customers to select their preferred meeting time directly from the booking calendar. 4. Set Up SMS Notifications (If desired): Virtual Appointments offers the flexibility to set up SMS notifications for appointment confirmations and reminders, provided the appropriate Teams plan is in place. This feature allows businesses to conveniently send appointment-related communications via text messages. It's important to note that attendees must have valid U.S., Canadian, or U.K. phone numbers to receive SMS notifications. 5. Link Forms (If desired): If there is a need for attendees to fill out specific forms before their appointments, Virtual Appointments facilitates the linking of up to four cloud-based forms created using Microsoft Forms. This integration ensures a streamlined process for collecting necessary information from customers ahead of their appointments. 6. Publish Your Booking Page: For businesses looking to provide customers with the option to book on-demand appointments, Virtual Appointments offers a "Manage" tab where the booking page can be published. By enabling the "Publish booking page" option, businesses can make their booking page accessible to customers, allowing them to conveniently schedule appointments based on their availability and preferences. Microsoft 365 offers a vast array of features and possibilities, yet many companies often underutilize these resources, leading to decreased efficiency and potential wasted expenditure on unnecessary apps. To maximize the Microsoft 365 experience and ensure optimal utilization of its tools, it can be beneficial to seek assistance from experts who can guide businesses in harnessing the full potential of the platform. By providing tailored guidance, businesses can effectively supercharge their productivity, leverage advanced features, and align their Microsoft 365 usage with their specific needs and goals. If you are interested in exploring how you can unlock the full power of Microsoft 365 and enhance your business operations, we invite you to reach out to us today to set up a meeting. Our team of experts can provide comprehensive support, helping you make the most of your Microsoft 365 tools and ensuring a highly effective and efficient digital workplace. In today's fast-paced digital landscape, businesses are constantly seeking innovative ways to stay ahead of the competition. Harnessing the power of cutting-edge technology has become essential to drive growth, enhance productivity, and streamline operations. One such technology leader at the forefront of the industry is Microsoft, and NextGEN IT Solutions has positioned itself as a trusted partner in unlocking the full potential of Microsoft's suite of solutions. NextGEN IT Solutions is proud to be a Microsoft partner, leveraging a strategic alliance that benefits both the company and its clients. By aligning with Microsoft, NextGEN IT Solutions gains access to a vast array of resources, expertise, and support, enabling them to deliver top-notch IT solutions to businesses across industries. As a Microsoft partner, NextGEN IT Solutions has met rigorous criteria set by Microsoft, showcasing their technical prowess, experience, and commitment to excellence. This partnership signifies that NextGEN IT Solutions has deep knowledge and expertise in Microsoft technologies, empowering them to provide tailor-made solutions that align with clients' unique requirements. 1. Comprehensive Product Portfolio: NextGEN IT Solutions, as a Microsoft partner, has the advantage of offering a comprehensive suite of Microsoft products and services to clients. This includes popular solutions such as Microsoft Azure, Office 365, Dynamics 365, and more. These cutting-edge technologies empower businesses to drive digital transformation, enhance collaboration, improve customer experiences, and scale their operations seamlessly. 2. Access to the Latest Innovations: As a Microsoft partner, NextGEN IT Solutions gains early access to the latest updates, innovations, and emerging technologies from Microsoft. This ensures that their clients stay ahead of the curve by leveraging the most advanced tools and features available. The partnership allows NextGEN IT Solutions to offer valuable insights and recommendations, helping clients optimize their IT infrastructure and achieve sustainable growth. 3. Enhanced Technical Expertise: Microsoft offers extensive training programs, certifications, and resources to its partners. NextGEN IT Solutions takes advantage of these offerings to continually upskill its team members, ensuring they possess the latest knowledge and expertise. This enables them to provide superior implementation, migration, customization, and support services to clients. By staying up to date with Microsoft's technology stack, NextGEN IT Solutions ensures our clients benefit from industry best practices and innovative solutions. 4. Collaborative Problem-Solving: Being a Microsoft partner enables NextGEN IT Solutions to tap into Microsoft's vast network of experts, fostering collaboration and problem-solving. In complex scenarios or when encountering technical challenges, NextGEN IT Solutions can consult with Microsoft's support teams, gaining valuable insights and solutions. This collaborative approach ensures that clients receive prompt and effective resolutions, minimizing downtime and maximizing productivity. 5. Customized Solutions and Scalability: NextGEN IT Solutions leverages its Microsoft partnership to offer tailored solutions that meet the unique requirements of each client. Whether it's cloud migration, application development, data analytics, or cybersecurity, they can design, implement, and manage solutions that align with the client's goals and objectives. Moreover, Microsoft's scalable technologies enable NextGEN IT Solutions to accommodate business growth, ensuring that their client’s IT infrastructure can adapt to changing demands. 6. Competitive Edge: By choosing NextGEN IT Solutions as a Microsoft partner, businesses gain a competitive edge in their respective markets. NextGEN IT Solutions' deep understanding of Microsoft technologies and their ability to deliver optimized solutions differentiate them from competitors. Clients can rely on NextGEN IT Solutions to provide industry-leading IT services, unlocking efficiency, agility, and innovation within their organizations. Through their partnership, NextGEN IT Solutions can offer a comprehensive suite of Microsoft products and services, empowering businesses to drive digital transformation, enhance collaboration, and improve operational efficiency. From cloud solutions to productivity tools and business applications, NextGEN IT Solutions can tailor their offerings to meet the specific needs of each client, ensuring maximum value and impact.
The advantage of early access to Microsoft's latest innovations and updates allows NextGEN IT Solutions to keep our clients at the forefront of technology. By leveraging emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and blockchain, NextGEN IT Solutions helps businesses stay ahead of the curve and embrace new opportunities for growth. Furthermore, NextGEN IT Solutions' team benefits from Microsoft's extensive training programs and certifications. This ongoing investment in skill development ensures that their experts possess up-to-date knowledge and expertise, enabling them to deliver superior implementation, migration, customization, and support services to clients. By staying abreast of Microsoft's technology stack, NextGEN IT Solutions can provide industry best practices and innovative solutions that drive tangible results. The collaborative relationship with Microsoft enables NextGEN IT Solutions to tap into the expertise of Microsoft's support teams. This collaboration facilitates efficient problem-solving, ensuring that clients receive prompt resolutions and minimized downtime. The ability to consult with Microsoft's experts empowers NextGEN IT Solutions to address complex technical challenges effectively, enhancing client satisfaction and maximizing productivity. Scalability is another significant advantage for businesses working with NextGEN IT Solutions as a Microsoft partner. Microsoft's scalable technologies allow NextGEN IT Solutions to accommodate clients' evolving needs and support their growth journey. Whether it's expanding operations, adding users, or scaling infrastructure, NextGEN IT Solutions can ensure that clients' IT environments remain flexible and adaptable. Choosing NextGEN IT Solutions as a Microsoft partner provides businesses with a competitive edge. Our deep understanding of Microsoft technologies, combined with our ability to deliver customized solutions, sets us apart from competitors. Clients can trust NextGEN IT Solutions to provide industry-leading IT services that drive efficiency, agility, and innovation within their organizations. NextGEN IT Solutions' partnership with Microsoft offers significant benefits for businesses seeking to unlock their full potential. By leveraging Microsoft's robust suite of solutions, NextGEN IT Solutions can provide tailored, innovative, and scalable IT solutions that drive growth, improve productivity, and streamline operations. With their deep expertise, collaborative approach, and access to the latest technology, NextGEN IT Solutions is well-positioned to empower businesses to thrive in the digital era. Customers have always been looking for convenience. It is no surprise that in today's world, convenience is synonymous with technology. From webforms to point-of-sale (POS) systems, businesses need to keep the customer experience in mind in all that they do.
The impact of customer experience on a business cannot be overstated. When people are not happy with their experience interacting with a company, they leave. And their experience may not have anything to do with the products or services being offered. It could be something as simple as finding it hard to navigate the website, or not being able to get a question answered. Customers expect businesses to make it easy for them to do business. Companies that do that reap the benefits. Customer-centric companies are 60% more profitable than those that are not. Technology is key to converting website visitors into clients. It is also key for keeping customers happy and returning to buy again. So, where should businesses focus their efforts? Below are several ideas that can benefit businesses of all budgets. Cloud Forms Are you still emailing forms in Microsoft Word to your customers? Using cloud-based forms makes the experience much better. Customers do not need to save a form to their computer and remember to email it back. Instead, they can follow a link and fill out the information online from any device. Moving forms to the cloud makes it easier for businesses as well. The form data comes in automatically. These systems also collate forms and provide analytics. If a business uses Microsoft 365, then they already have a cloud form tool. They can look for Microsoft Forms in their available applications or visit Microsoft's site. Digital Signatures Experts expect the use of eSignatures to grow by 69% by 2024. The ability to digitally sign documents means more contracts get signed. People do not have to print out a form, sign it, then scan it back in. Any of those activities could mean a bump in the road. Printers run out of ink. People have trouble with a scanner they rarely use. Any problem can mean a customer rethinks signing a document that a business needs. Using digital signatures streamlines the process. A business can handle the transaction online. They also ensure they have a legally binding signature. Smart Chatbot When someone makes a buying decision, they often have a question. If they do not have a quick and easy way to get an answer, they may go elsewhere. Chatbots are really smart these days. If they are programmed right, they can answer a large percentage of repeat questions. They are there 24/7 on a business's website, ready to help in a moment of need. Many customers actually like them. About 68% of consumers are happy using helpful chatbots. They say they like that they get a fast answer from a bot. This is not always the case when customers send an email. SMS Notifications SMS notifications are another type of technology that can improve customer experience. Emails have become flooded with junk mail. When someone needs to know about a shipment or purchase, they often prefer it by text. This way, the message is not missed. Businesses should think about implementing SMS notifications for important customer alerts. They should make sure they have an opt-in and opt-out method. It is also a best practice to let the customer choose which alerts they want to receive, such as payment notifications, sales, or shipping details. Business Mobile App People have been transitioning from websites to apps for a while. Of course, the internet is not going away, but apps are gaining ground. A big reason for this is the rise of smartphone use. Smartphone searches are overtaking web searches. And when people are on a mobile device, they prefer apps over websites. Studies show that mobile users spend 90% of their time using. Get Expert Assistance in Developing Your Technology Roadmap At our company, we specialize in identifying technology upgrades that will have the greatest impact on your bottom line. We can also provide guidance on how to seamlessly integrate new systems with your existing solutions. If you're interested in looking ahead to the future and improving your business's technology infrastructure, please don't hesitate to contact us to schedule a consultation. In the digital age, protecting data has become increasingly important. Cyber threats are a real and constant danger, and as such, regulations and rules have been put in place to safeguard sensitive information. Many organizations have implemented data privacy policies to comply with these regulations. In the United States, for example, the healthcare industry and their partners must comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), while anyone collecting payment card data must adhere to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS). The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a data protection regulation with far-reaching consequences, affecting anyone selling to EU citizens. However, these are just a few examples of industry and international data privacy regulations. Many states and local jurisdictions have their own data privacy laws, and organizations must be aware of these compliance requirements, as well as any updates to these rules. By the end of 2024, around 75% of the world's population will have its data protected by one or more privacy regulations.
Authorities frequently introduce new data privacy regulations, and in 2023, four states in the United States, namely Colorado, Utah, Connecticut, and Virginia, will begin enforcing new data privacy statutes. For organizations, it is crucial to stay on top of their data privacy compliance requirements. Failure to do so can result in severe consequences. Many standards carry hefty penalties for a data breach, and if security measures are found to be inadequate, fines can be even higher. For instance, HIPAA uses a sliding scale to determine fines for violations, ranging from $100 to $50,000 per breached record. The fine increases depending on how negligent the company was. All of this can be overwhelming, but there are steps businesses can take to stay on top of data privacy updates. The following tips can help organizations keep up with the latest data privacy regulations: 1. Identify the Regulations You Need to FollowIt is crucial to identify all the various data privacy regulations that an organization may be subject to. These may include regulations based on industry, where an organization sells its products or services, statewide rules, city or county ordinances, and federal regulations for government contractors. By identifying these regulations, organizations can ensure that they are not caught off guard by new rules they were not aware of. 2. Stay Aware of Data Privacy Regulation UpdatesStaying on top of any changes to data privacy regulations is crucial. Organizations can sign up for updates on the appropriate websites to avoid being blindsided by a data privacy rule change. For example, those in the healthcare field can sign up for HIPAA updates at HIPAA.gov. It is essential to sign up for updates for each regulation that an organization falls under and to have updates sent to more than one person to ensure that they do not get missed if someone is on vacation. 3. Do an Annual Review of Your Data Security StandardsCompanies are continually evolving their technology, and any changes to an organization's IT environment can mean falling out of compliance with data privacy regulations. It is crucial to do at least an annual review of an organization's data security and match it with its data privacy compliance requirements to ensure that everything is in order. 4. Audit Your Security Policies and ProceduresAnother critical aspect of staying on top of data privacy compliance is to audit an organization's security policies and procedures. These written documents inform employees of what is expected of them and provide direction when it comes to data privacy and how to handle a breach. It is essential to audit security policies annually and whenever there is a data privacy regulation update to ensure that an organization is encompassing any new changes to its requirements. 5. Update Your Technical, Physical & Administrative Safeguards As NeededWhen an organization receives a notification of an upcoming data privacy update, planning ahead is crucial. It is best to comply with the rule before We Can Help Give us a Call to Discuss Your Needs! |
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May 2024
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