Coleman Technologies Blog

Office 365 and Your Business

Office 365 Will Change Your Business  

If you are not using Office 365 in your office you are missing out on a packaged product that could create an increase in your company’s efficiency. The efficiency of a company directly affects the success of the company. When your company isn’t running as efficiently as it can, it can cause significant financial losses for your company. Fortunately, Office 365 can improve the efficiency of your company, here are 5 ways how!

• 1. Remote: Office Online

Work From Home and Remote jobs are becoming more popular as tech companies make it easier to connect! With Office Online you can work from anywhere you can connect to the internet and work with team members in real time. All of this with the familiar design and features of the regular Office products! 

• 2. Teamwork: SharePoint

With Office 365, teamwork becomes a breeze! Collaboration between teams and departments will never be easier due to Microsoft’s SharePoint. SharePoint, a software that comes with Office 365, will make sharing information and files easier as well as allow your employees to work on projects simultaneously.

• 3. Analytics: Power BI

Power BI is a business analytics tool by Microsoft that allows your business to track your data and share insights across your organization. You can then take that data and embed it into your website(s). Power BI will collect your data and provide you with visual reports that you can collaborate, publish, and share. Power BI will save your business valuable time and resources!

• 4. Time Management: Outlook

Keep your office and employees organized and on track with Microsoft’s Outlook. Outlook conveniently allows you to keep all of your emails, calendar entries, contacts, tasks, and more together in one place.

• 5. Cloud Storage: OneDrive

Cloud-based storage has become increasingly popular among businesses. OneDrive is the cloud-based file storage application from Microsoft 365. OneDrive connects you to all your files so you can share and work together from anywhere while protecting your work.

Improve Your Processes with Office 365

To wrap up, Office 365 is an essential business tool to ensure that your office is running as smoothly and efficiently as possible. Microsoft saves you from having to use multiple platforms and has conveniently packaged all of their products together in Office 365. Reach out to us by calling (604) 513-9428 to increase your company’s efficiency with Office 365!

Cyber Security Protection for British Columbia Businesses

No Business is Exempt; It’s Time to Take IT Security Seriously

Is Your Data Safe?

Consider how much of your business operations rely on computers - you store your business and customer data digitally, including financial accounts, personal information, and other specifics. Unfortunately, while this data is clearly invaluable to your business, do you know who else would find your data valuable?

Cybercriminals, that’s who.

Cyber security is the approach that businesses take to ensure that their data is protected against theft, breaches, or other threats by cybercriminals and user error, leveraging a variety of solutions and practices to accomplish this goal.

What Does This Mean for Your Business?

How would you respond if a business you entrusted your data to had betrayed that trust and neglected to protect it? Probably not well, and the same goes for everyone whose data you possess. They would feel the same way if you failed to protect their data. Allowing a cyber security incident to happen, either through neglect, negligence, or naiveté, will only bring you trouble. For instance, you will likely have to deal with:

• Upset clients and customers
• Time lost notifying those affected 
• Regulatory backlash
• Severe reputation damage
• Financial repercussions and reparations
• Bad press
• Litigation

Obviously, none of these outcomes are good, and should be avoided.

Let’s Protect Your Business

We Can Help You Meet and Exceed Industry Compliances and Protect Your Business, Staff, and Customers

These days, just having antivirus and a firewall aren’t enough to protect you from the majority of cyberattacks. That’s why we offer fully managed, always-on, enterprise-level IT security solutions to keep your business safe.

• 24/7 Network Security
• Unified Threat Management
• Content Filtering
• Spam Protection
• Mobile Device Management
• Email Encryption
• Access Control and Password Policies
• Penetration Testing
• Software Updates
• Staff Training

For help with any of these considerations, Coleman Technologies is here for you. Reach out to us to have a conversation about how your cybersecurity should take shape by calling (604) 513-9428, or filling out the form on this page.

Windows 7 End of Life - Your Business Can’t Afford to Run Out the Clock on This One

What’s the Big Deal?

Microsoft is retiring the very popular Windows 7 operating system, and any system still running that OS after January 14, 2020 will NOT BE SUPPORTED. There will be no further bug fixes or security updates which can leave your business vulnerable to security breaches. If you require compliance certifications your computer will no longer be in compliance. 

What Should You Do?

Simply put, you need to immediately make a plan to upgrade away from Windows 7. 

What Are Your Options?

You can upgrade to Windows 10 or you can look to the cloud-based offerings such as Microsoft 365, which provides a web-hosted copy of Windows 10 Pro. 

What needs to be done:

1. Establish what computer systems are running Windows 7
2. Review computer hardware and consider replacing to support Windows 10
3. Check your line of business and other applications for compatibility
4. Establish a timeline and a budget
5. Plan time for employee training

If you are in British Columbia and are still using Windows 7, our expert consultants can give you a hand to beat the clock before it runs out. Contact Coleman Technologies at (604) 513-9428 or complete the form to the right today. We are happy to help!

An Outdated Operating System Poses a Huge Security Risk

It’s Time to Abandon Windows 7 for a Safer Option.

Windows 7 is considered to be one of Microsoft's most successful operating systems. So much so that many organizations skipped upgrading to either of Microsoft’s newer operating systems: Windows 8 and Windows 10. You may be able to list many reasons why you want to stay with Windows 7, but it is time to start preparing to upgrade away from the OS as the end of life deadline is fast approaching.

January 2020 will be the end of the line for Windows 7. It won’t stop working, but Microsoft will no longer provide the crucial security updates, bug fixes, and technical support that you’ve come to rely on. In this way, it may as well have stop working. An unsupported operating system makes your workstations vulnerable to cyberattacks. It is very likely that these attackers are working on how they can exploit the vulnerabilities that will be presented when Microsoft stops support for Windows 7.

What you need to do to prepare?
Anytime your organization is making a significant change like moving operating systems it’s important to plan properly so that your transition is smooth and successful.

1. Establish what computer systems are running Windows 7
2. Review computer hardware consider replacing to support Windows 10
3. Check your line of business and other applications for compatibility
4. Establish a timeline and a budget
5. Plan time for employee training

If you are still using Windows 7, our expert consultants can help you prepare for the inevitable transition to Windows 10 by helping map out the most efficient way to upgrade your workstations so that it has minimal impact on your business.

To learn more or to schedule a consultation contact us today to get started.