Faster, More Selective Screenshots – Computer Tip of the Day

faster more selective screenshots computer tip of the day

Selective screenshots are a useful tool for both desktops and mobile devices. Although most people know how to take them, few know how to do so efficiently. In this blog, we’ll teach you about Microsoft’s Snipping Tool for Windows 7, 8 and 10.

What you’re probably doing

Let’s say you need to take a screenshot of your Gmail inbox. You’re probably going to hit ALT + PrtSc to create a new file in the Screenshots folder (hopefully you’re not just clicking PrtSc and pasting the picture in Microsoft Paint).

But if you just want to send a screenshot of your inbox, then you’ll have to cut out the tabs and address bar in your browser. You can either go back, hit F11 to make your browser full screen and take another screenshot, or crop the one you have. Both options take too much time for such a simple process.

What you should do

Instead, you should hit the Windows button, type “Snipping Tool” into the applications search bar, and click the corresponding icon. Select “New” and choose between the following four options:

  • Free-form Snip
  • Rectangular Snip
  • Window Snip
  • Full-screen Snip

The best way to get a screenshot of your email inbox is to use the second option. Now you can select what you want to appear in the picture and save the file to whatever folder you’d like.

What you can use this for

Screenshots are useful in many different scenarios. Whether you’re reporting a problem with your computer, sharing your screen with a colleague, or creating a new document, they’re useful for showing exactly what’s on your computer.

The Snipping Tool just makes the process a little easier. There’s no need to crop your picture, save a new file, or paste what you have in Microsoft Paint (please never do this).

For more computer tips, or anything else, contact us today.

Lackluster Performance? Here Are 4 Tips to Improve Company Efficiency

lackluster performance here are 4 tips to improve company efficiency

You’re not the first business owner or manager to be disappointed with your company’s performance. Others before you have faced the same challenge and managed to find success. Here are four tips to help you break through this plateau and improve your company efficiency.

Improve Company Efficiency

Find a good managed services benefits provider

First off, you need to embrace specialization. By that, we mean you should stick to doing what you do best and let others do what you’re not great at.

A manager services benefits provider can handle your IT tasks more efficiently and let you concentrate on your core business operations. You don’t even need an in-house team to manage your Internet or phone system.

Set expectations for employee performance 

If you’re looking for good results, then that’s something you should tell your employees. According to this Harvard Business Review article, you should do this as soon as possible:

“What’s important is that a manager do this transparently and quickly — in a matter of days, or weeks at the most. Creating the expectation for high performance and doing what’s necessary to help your team be successful is a critical skill for anyone managing others.”

Sometimes people just need to have a goal to shoot for. As a manager, it’s your job to give them that.

Don’t hire the same person twenty times over

We’ve seen this in all industries. Businesses hire specialists with the same background and they end up with a one-dimensional team. If you want a multitude of skills, then you need to hire employees with different qualifications.

Start your work week off right

We recommend coming into work Monday morning and organizing the entire work week. This will prepare employees for upcoming meetings and events and let them know what’s in store for the upcoming days.

For more ways to improve your company’s efficiency, contact us today.

How Good is Your Browser’s Security?

how good is your browser security

If you think that all browsers are essentially the same with regard to privacy and security, think again.  Just as the threat from viruses and malware is constantly evolving, so are the abilities of those organizations who create and maintain browsers to continually meet challenges from external threats.  In this post we will compare and contrast the safety and privacy features of some of the most popular available browsers.

Browser's Security

Mozilla Firefox

On the plus side, Mozilla continues to remain committed to the privacy of their users by declining to profit from analyzing and selling their users browser information.  Unfortunately, Firefox has a notable security flaw by continuing to keep all data from plugins stored in the same location.  Just one rogue add-on could gain vital data from other plugins such as a password manager, for example.

Microsoft Internet Explorer

This is Microsoft’s legacy browser.  Although the most recent version does continue to receive an occasional update, this browser is not considered fully supported by Microsoft anymore.  This means vulnerabilities might not be addressed, leaving users and their computers exposed to threats.  If anyone in your organization is still using IE, it is time to make a change.

Microsoft Edge

Edge is Microsoft’s newer browser and comes with their latest operating system, Windows 10.  Edge is fully supported by Microsoft.  Although not as customizable as other browsers perhaps, Edge should receive regular updates for the foreseeable future.  In addition, Microsoft has made notable improvements to protect users from malicious code by creating safe “virtualization” spaces to test links before opening them.

Safari

Safari is Apple’s default browser on all their devices.  Traditionally, Safari has been thought to be relatively free of attacks simply because it did not have enough users to make it profitable for hackers to attack it.  Recently that has begun to change and Apple has had to respond to some malware attacks.  Fortunately, they have been quick to address these types of threats.

Chrome

Google’s Chrome browser is the most commonly used browser available.  Out of all the other browsers, Google updates their Chrome browser the most frequently to combat external threats.  Generally, it is considered the safest browser available.  Unfortunately, Google is also known to track, analyze and store essentially every keystroke their users make.  This is not to say that Google compromises personal passwords or other sensitive data, but they do know a great deal about every user’s internet habits.

Every organization should weigh the pros and cons of the various browsers and decide which one best meets their needs.  For some security is paramount, whereas others might be more concerned about privacy or the ability to customize their browser to conduct their daily business activities.

Need help managing the security and integrity of all your IT systems?  Contact us.

 

Have You Found The Right IT Support in New York?

have you found the right it support in new york

Most businesses require some, if not quite a bit, of IT support to keep running smoothly. Whether you are just starting a business and need someone to walk alongside you, or you work at an established business that needs some extra support, AE Technology Group is the right IT support in New York. We help businesses in New York with all of their IT needs.

The Right IT Support in New York

When your technology isn’t operating correctly, things in your business may come to a crawl, or even to a halt. This is the worst nightmare of many business owners. Technology is so essential in today’s world. But it can sink you if you aren’t prepared to deal with its malfunctions. However at AE Technology Group, we aren’t afraid of any technology meltdown. Here are some ways we support our customers:

  • IT Support 24/7/365: We know your IT difficulties are not always going to happen during business hours. We always have trained support available to diagnose a problem in your computer or network and get it back up and running smoothly as soon as possible,
  • We Support Your Existing IT Team: At AE Tech Group, we know many businesses already have an in-house IT specialist or team. But the demands of your business may be a lot for one person to handle. We are happy to help out your existing IT department when you need extra support.
  • Managed IT Services: Managed IT services allow our team to be proactive and work out kinks in your network or systems before they become a problem. Managed IT services are one way we keep our client’s cost down and efficiency high.

If you want to know more about how AE Technology Group can support your business, contact us today.

Computer Tip of the Day: Password Complexity is Essential For Your Organization’s Application Security

computer tip of the day password complexity is essential for your organization application security

Passwords are the most common method (along with user accounts) for authenticating a person in order to identify them as someone allowed access to the system and company network. This is especially true within networks where multiple platforms exist (such as Windows, Linux and Apple iOS) because not all systems support more advanced authentication devices. Password complexity offers a very simple method of identification by requiring the user to provide only something that they know, in this case a “secret” known only to the user and the system to which they are authenticating. However, several factors now make passwords a very weak method of protecting systems from unauthorized access.

Password complexity

First, attackers can break passwords with enough time and the right tools. Today’s faster processors enable malicious attackers to crack passwords (even those with strong encryption) in hours or even minutes, depending upon the nature of the password. While this is more of a technology vulnerability, it is important to mention because of the next point. In order to prevent successful password cracking, administrators can enforce password complexity rules. These rules, when configured on systems, force users to create passwords that meet specific constraints designed to ensure that passwords cannot be cracked within a short period of time.

Rules typically include length of password (over 12 characters), and require passwords to include one or more numbers, special characters, lowercase letters and upper case letters. The problem with passwords and personnel is that complex passwords are difficult to remember. For this reason employees will write down the passwords (which may eventually be found by others) or create passwords that, in spite of the complexity rules, certain password cracking software such as “John the Ripper” can break by using familiar names, repeat characters, phone numbers, the address of the company, or other human predictable password choices.

John the Ripper and other similar password cracking software packages able to break passwords faster because they support the use of (human predictable) password lists that the software can try first before proceeding into brute force cracking mode (essentially guessing at high-speed). Through the use of such lists, password cracking time is greatly reduced unless additional password complexity rules (such as disallowing use of dictionary words) are strictly enforced.

Of course password complexity rules do not prevent users from writing down their passwords, eventually retrievable through “dumpster diving” if and when the paper containing their passwords ends up in the trash bin.

Contact us today for help establishing, implementing and maintaining a company-wide password complexity policy that secures your applications and systems.