How-To Guide: ProofPoint Essentials

Welcome to our Hot-To Guide to ProofPoint Essentials (PPE), The IT Agency's latest anti-SPAM service protecting your business. If you want more information on PPE you can watch this video or read our blog on our selection process. There are three main elements to PPE that you will interface with on a regular basis: Individual Emails Quarantine Digests ProofPoint Essentials Portal Individual Emails Every external email that you rece...

Activating Multi-Factor Authentication

Before you begin, get the Authenticator app To prepare for Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and S elf-service password reset , you should obtain the Microsoft Authenticator app for your iOS or Android device by using the app store —just search for Microsoft Authenticator . NOTE : The mobile authenticator app is easier to use and is considered more secure than an SMS text message. However, SMS text message is also an option in case the app...

ProofPoint Essentials selection

We carefully assess and thoroughly test products and services before we make our final selection to ensure they are the best solution for our clients. The current anti-SPAM solution, at the time of deployment, offered the best mix of features with ease of use.Subsequently the platform was bought by another company and little development has gone into the product over the last year. This concerned us because it wasn't staying current with the late...

Microsoft 365 Business

Whether you call them SMEs (Small or Medium Enterprises) or SMBs (Small or Medium Businesses), the facts show that, as a group, these organisations suffer the most cyberattacks. Small businesses endured 55% of all attacks last year.Where breaches do occur resulting from such attacks, 52% are down to user error. These are just some of the stats outlined by Brad Anderson, Corporate Vice President for Microsoft 365 in his article earlier this ...

Windows 10 version 1909

Microsoft quietly released its 9 th version of Windows 10 on 12 th November 2019. We refer to it as Windows 10 1909 or build 18363. The IT Agency has been running this version since the day of release to ensure that it doesn't create any unexpected issues. If you are running the previous release Windows 10 1903 build 18362, then your machine will receive the new version as a cumulative update, like Microsoft's standard monthly updates. Micr...

Edge Chromium is coming

Microsoft, after years of doing their own thing in terms of browser development, are joining the existing stable of Chrome-based browsers (e.g. Google Chrome, Opera, Vivaldi etc.) with the release of their new Edge Chromium browser on January 15 th , 2020. Edge Chromium's initial deployment will be as part of a Microsoft standard update and the new browser will work on all Windows platforms from 7 onwards – Windows 7, 8 and 10, and macOS. The Bet...

RIP – Windows 7

Are any of your computers running Windows 7? If the answer is yes, then January 14 th , 2020 should be looming large in your mind. Microsoft will end support for Windows 7 on that date – a development which could have a significant negative impact on your business IT environment. After January 14 th your operating system will receive: No Security No Updates No Support No Compliance End of Support quite literally means no further security fixes or...

Multi-Factor Authentication

Multi-factor Authentication as a security measure protected user accounts in 99.9% of attempted identity attacks, according to Microsoft . This encouraging statistic was released as the tech giant revealed that 44 million of it's Microsoft Azure Active Directory and Microsoft Services accounts were themselves vulnerable to being breached through compromised passwords. If Microsoft are prepared to admit to such vulnerability, what about other...

Security warning about Smart TVs

We've all survived the Black Friday and Cyber Monday super sales where some of the big-ticket items are Smart TVs. The FBI just released a warning that your new toy may be a cyber criminal's best friend. Smart TVs typically include internet streaming, cameras, microphones and other advanced technologies allowing the manufacturer or app developers to snoop on you. Malicious cyber actors may be able to take control of your unsecured TV. Low risk ac..

Cyber Monday Survival Guide

As night follows day, so Cyber Monday follows Black Friday in another US retailer-inspired sales push hanging on the coat-tails of Thanksgiving. Any excuse, eh? Of course, online retailers around the world have seized the opportunity to jump on the bandwagon - and where merchants lead, scammers are sure to "follow the money". For every reputable organisation coaxing you to part with cash for their unmissable, never to be repeated (this week!) bar...