Office 2010 will reach end-of-support on October 13, 2020. After this date, Microsoft will no longer provide technical support, bug fixes, or security updates for Office 2010. You will be able to continue using this version of Office, but by upgrading before any product falls out of support your business minimizes risks, including reducing exposure to security threats, remaining in compliance, and continuing to receive the latest product updates and support.

There comes a time in every business when the introduction of new technology is required. You know that the change is needed and will likely bring added productivity or cost saving with it. What you are trying to work out is WHEN this change could happen. You are aware that this could be a disruptive project for you and your staff and there never seems to be a good time. When thinking about implementing a new project, there are considerations every business leader needs to know. 

Every year, Cyber Monday brings us incredible deals and discounts; however, it's also the time of year when cybercriminals increase their efforts to steal our money and confidential information. To stay safe while shopping online, keep the following cybersafety tips in mind.

Trends in Information Technology are continuously changing and, as a result, organizations are having to adapt to those changes. Let's look at the most prominent IT trends that are showing up today. 

Cloud-Based Modern Desktop

Many organizational networks are now cloud-based, allowing end users to connect from literally anywhere at any time, and with any device. Businesses who look towards enabling employees with a "Modern Desktop" environment typically want to meet these objectives:

Systems Engineering is paying special attention to a Cisco IOS XE Software Web UI Command Injection Vulnerability that was announced earlier this week. Also known as "ThrangryCat Vulnerability," it is serious enough to get the attention of the press. As quoted on ZDNet, "This vulnerability allows hackers to plant persistent "backdoors" on Cisco gear, even over the Internet, with no physical access to vulnerable devices."

What is Webex Teams?

Cisco's Webex Teams, utilized by businesses around the world, is a cloud-based, or hosted, collaboration platform that’s modeled around teamwork in the modern working environment. Built on the Webex platform, it can act as a phone system, a video conferencing system, a file share, and a whiteboard environment. Persistent, or ongoing, chat can be utilized by people within an organization as well as with partners and clients who work externally. Essentially, it’s a communication platform that will change how your organization collaborates, seamlessly and for the better.

Five years ago, I wrote a blog post that summarized the risks of unmanaged data within IT environments. As a specialist working with Systems Engineering's FileProtect (cloud backup service), I’ve only seen this problem compound. The problem lies in the fact that the majority of businesses haven’t taken on the challenge of cleaning out their proverbial digital junk drawers.

When organizations decide to move data to the cloud, there are several benefits including cost efficiency and time savings. Consistent and frequent updates to make usability easier and friendlier is yet another benefit. For those organizations that have adopted Microsoft Office 365, (or better yet Microsoft 365, a.k.a. 'Modern Desktop') for example, you might have noticed that once a login occurs, the default page seen now is Office.com. As such, Microsoft announced the following explanation earlier this week: