Microsoft announces OneDrive storage cap

By on November 19, 2015 in Blog, Cloud computing, Microsoft

Microsoft is to scale back the storage volumes on offer through its OneDrive platform, after users turned to it for entire film collections and computer backups.

The tech giant revealed in October 2014 that it was to remove storage limits on its OneDrive platform for Office 365 users – a move that many put down as an attempt to take some of Dropbox and Google’s market share. As part of the announcement, Microsoft said it was offering an unlimited service in order to become “the world’s cloud storage leader.”

Now, it has been forced to announce a reversal, blaming the U-turn on users storing far too much unnecessary data on the platform. This included movie collections, hours of high-quality video and computer backups. In certain instances, total data volumes exceeded 75TB – equal to 14,000 times the average.

Working for the benefit of the majority

Sustaining this, Microsoft claimed, would turn the service into an “extreme backup scenario” that is tailored specifically to a small handful of users. Instead, capping the service would deliver “high value productivity and collaboration experiences that benefit the majority of OneDrive users.”

The new plans will see users capped at 1TB. Meanwhile, the 15GB limit offered for free has been scaled back to 5GB, whilst the 100 and 200GB plans are to be scrapped altogether, replaced instead with a new 50GB tier.

Users who have more than 1TB of data stored on OneDrive needn’t get worried about losing their files just yet, though. Microsoft is allowing one year for users to remove what they don’t need. It’s not yet been made apparent what Microsoft will do with accounts that remain over the 1TB limit once the year is up.

To compensate users that signed up solely for the unlimited storage – not necessarily the full Office 365 suite – Microsoft announced it is to offer a pro-rated refund on subscription costs. For those using the free model but with between 5GB and 15GB of files, Microsoft has also given a year’s grace, as well as the option to redeem a free one-year Office 365 subscription, which includes 1TB of storage.

For further information regarding OneDrive and storage options for business, contact your IT support provider.

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Microsoft unveils ‘flagship’ store in New York City

By on November 19, 2015 in Apple, Blog, Microsoft

Tech fans on America’s east coast have a new opportunity to browse Microsoft’s latest offerings, after the company opened its first ever ‘flagship’ store on New York City’s famous Fifth Avenue.

The store opening, which took place on October 26, conveniently coincided with the release of the firm’s new Surface products, including the Surface Pro 4 and the Surface Book, as well as the launch of Xbox One title ‘Halo One’.

The move is thought to be the latest of Microsoft’s attempts to compete with Californian rival Apple, which already owns 450 stores across the world – one of which is situated on Fifth Avenue, among the world’s most notable retail areas. Satya Nadella’s company currently has 116 bricks-and-mortar stores, all but two of which are in the US and Canada.

Competing with Apple for hardware and gadgets

With five levels, the new store is Microsoft’s largest yet by some way, covering more than 22,000 square feet. Visitors can expect to find the company’s latest gadgets and software on the ground and first floors, with the ‘Answer Desk’ – Microsoft’s ‘Genius Bar’ equivalent – on the second.

The third floor has been dedicated to the showcasing of new products from partner firm Dell and its PC gaming arm, Alienware. The top floor is taken up by a mix of staff areas and event spaces.

Present at the big opening event were Surface boss Panos Panay, as well as COO Kevin Turner and representatives of New York City – including its deputy mayor, Richard Buery and CTO, Minerva Tantoco.

Also there was Kelly Soligon, the general manager of worldwide marketing for Microsoft’s online and retail stores, who commented: “We’ve designed this store to be really inviting and very customer-focused. It’s all about customers getting hands on with the technology and having space and time to experience and play with the products.

“One of the things that we love about being the Microsoft Store and the flagship store is the ability to showcase those products immediately.”

Some have questioned why it took so long for the Redmond giant to establish a presence on such a prominent retail stage, but corporate VP of its retail and online stores, David Porter, said it was just a case of waiting for the right time.

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M2 Computing welcomes Cole Marie Partners Ltd

By on October 13, 2015 in Blog, Company news

This month we welcome a new client Cole Marie Partners Ltd, a leading Chartered Accountancy firm based in Reigate, Surrey.

The System

Their new design reverted to an on premise client server solution to improve the overall IT performance. All old PC’s running Windows XP where replaced with new workstations powered by the latest i7 processors, to give them the optimum computing experience. All employees still have a remote access option if working outside of the office including the payroll department based in Wales linked via a secure virtual private network.

As part of the new installation all users where migrated to the full Office 365 platform which provides them with the latest Microsoft Office software, business class email and the archiving and compliance features that they need to stay compliant.

Efficiency

In addition to installing the new hardware and software, we reviewed their Sage software installation and use. We found some inefficiencies with storing various versions of sage accounts data and M2 recommended switching to the Sage Client Manager Software which is specifically designed to address the problem in hand. This Sage Client Manager Software offers a number of additional features to improve productivity including the ability to open customer accounts created with older versions of Sage.

Ongoing

To complete the project Cole Marie are now covered by the M2 managed IT support service M2 Assist Gold package to ensure their systems remain in tip top order.

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Selfies to replace passwords

By on October 13, 2015 in General, Miscellaneous

Forecasters have long been predicting the demise of the humble password but now a new contender has emerged as a potential successor – the selfie.

MasterCard has been looking at ways of making online payments quicker and more secure, whilst also trying to do away with the effort of remembering old passwords. It settled on biometric recognition, which is simply the process of identifying someone through their physical features. MasterCard’s way of achieving this is either through the fingerprint scanners present on some devices (such as recent iPhones), voice recognition, or the simple selfie.

Using biometrics for security purposes is nothing new, although previous iterations have stalled for not being sophisticated enough to be truly secure. MasterCard hopes to have overcome this with its own system, due to be released in the US next year, before being rolled out globally in 2017.

Not only does MasterCard claim its new method allows people a quick and easy way to access their accounts without having to remember passwords, it said there could also be financial benefits on offer to online retailers. New research conducted by the payment processor found that more than a third of people abandon their baskets if they encounter password difficulties. An even greater number (six in ten) said that password woes had got in the way of them buying time-sensitive purchases, such as concert or festival tickets.

Commenting, president of enterprise security solutions at Mastercard, Ajay Bhalla, told telegraph.co.uk: “We believe that security is one of the barriers which is actually inhibiting expansion of e-commerce, because people have to remember passwords and because it is very inconvenient.

“The idea is these technologies should actually change your life, and make it extremely convenient to do shopping on e-commerce sites or on your mobile phone. That’s what we’re trying to refine in these programmes.”

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Dispelling the myths about Microsoft Office 365

By on October 13, 2015 in Blog, Microsoft, Topical

Most companies would like to benefit from the business agility and cost savings that result from a move to the cloud. But with the bewildering amount of contradictory information floating around on the Internet, there is always room for confusion.

Take Microsoft Office 365, for example. Many businesses are looking to embrace this software suite as a first step in their journey to the cloud. Many think of it merely as a version of Office that is accessible from a browser but, of course, there is much more to it than that, which is why Microsoft recently produced a myth-busting guide to correct some of the most common misconceptions.

So here are the top five Office 365 business cloud myths from Microsoft – things you may have thought were true – but which aren’t!

Office 365 is just Office tools in the cloud, and I can only use it online

No, Office 365 is a suite of cloud-based productivity services, which can include Office 365 ProPlus or Office 365 Business installed on your desktop. It can also include Exchange Online for email and calendaring, SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business for collaboration, Skype for Business for voice, IM, meetings, and presence as well as Yammer for social collaboration.

If our data moves to the cloud, our business will no longer have control over its technology

Actually, when you move to the cloud, headaches and time spent maintaining hardware and upgrading software can be significantly reduced. Now you and your team can focus on your work rather than acting as a repair or IT support service. You have more time to spend improving business operations and launching agile initiatives.

Keeping data on-premises is safer than in the cloud

In fact, it is becoming increasingly clear that your on-premises systems aren’t inherently more secure than they’d be in the cloud, says Mark Anderson, founder of the INVNT/IP Global Consortium, a group of governments and security experts solving the growing cybertheft problem. Many companies are routinely hacked and don’t know it, says Anderson, a tech visionary and founder of Strategic News Service.

Security has grown into a full-time job, one requiring a team of experts, and the few experts available require hefty salaries. Microsoft hires the best and brightest when it comes to thwarting security breaches, with the scale most companies can only dream about. What’s more, Microsoft Office 365 has a 99.9 percent financially backed uptime guarantee.

I have to move everything to the cloud – it is an all-or-nothing scenario

Not true. While early cloud supporters proclaimed the cloud as the Holy Grail, it is rare for businesses to migrate their entire enterprise to the cloud over the weekend. Most implementations begin with a hybrid approach, moving a single application, like email, and growing from there.

The hybrid cloud creates a consistent platform that spans data centres and the cloud, simplifying IT and delivering apps and data to users on virtually any device, anywhere. It gives you control to deliver the computing power and capabilities that business demands, and to scale up or down as needed, without wasting your onsite technology investments.

Cloud migration is too much for my business to handle

That’s what we’re here for. If you read articles about companies moving petabytes of data to hosted locations, you could soon begin to feel that “going cloud” is too big a challenge. Of course, your journey to the cloud needs to be properly planned with integrated IT support and it is not something to be taken lightly. So we’ll help you every step of the way with information and tips on firewall configurations, reverse proxy requirements, identity options, migration possibilities, and a phased approach for hybrid setups.

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How to apply data validation to cells in Excel

By on October 13, 2015 in Blog, Microsoft, Tips & tricks

Data validation is an Excel feature that you can use to define restrictions on what data can or should be entered in a cell.

You can configure data validation to prevent users from entering data that is not valid. If you prefer, you can allow users to enter invalid data but warn them when they try to type it in the cell. You can also provide messages to define what input you expect for the cell, and instructions to help users correct any errors.

When might Data Validation be used?

Here are some of the scenarios in which Excel Data Validation may be required:

  • Restrict data to predefined items in a list – For example, you can limit types of departments to Sales, Finance, R&D, and IT. Similarly, you can create a list of values from a range of cells elsewhere in the worksheet.
  • Restrict numbers outside a specified range – For example, you can specify a minimum limit of deductions to two times the number of children in a particular cell.
  • Restrict dates outside a certain time frame – For example, you can specify a time frame between today’s date and 3 days from today’s date.
  • Restrict times outside a certain time frame – For example, you can specify a time frame for serving breakfast between the time when the restaurant opens and 5 hours after the restaurant opens.
  • Limit the number of text characters – For example, you can limit the allowed text in a cell to 10 or fewer characters.
  • Validate data based on formulas or values in other cells – For example, you can use data validation to set a maximum limit for commissions and bonuses of £3,600, based on the overall projected payroll value. If users enter more than £3,600 in the cell, they see a validation message.

Example

The sheet below requires an age to be given in whole numbers and all people participating in this survey should be between 18 and 60 years old.

data-01   data-03

To ensure that data outside of this age range isn’t entered, go to Data->Data Validation->Setting, input the conditions and shift to Input Message to give prompts like, “Please input your age with whole number, which should range from 18 to 60.” Users will get this prompt when hanging the pointer in this area and get a warning message if the inputted information is unqualified.

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Microsoft reassures users concerning Windows 10 privacy myths

By on October 13, 2015 in Blog, Microsoft, Web privacy

Microsoft has clarified its position on privacy concerns surrounding Windows 10, in a bid to quell rumours about the monitoring and harvesting of user data.

The information comes in the form of a blog post, which acknowledges that privacy is an “incredibly important topic” in today’s connected world. It goes on to proclaim that Windows is, by making these assertions, “more committed, more transparent and listening harder to customers” than any of its competitors.

Feedback aims to make Windows work better and put users in control

Terry Myerson, who wrote the blog, explained that Windows 10 was created with two straightforward privacy principles in mind. The first was that information would be collected in order for the product to work better for consumers. Secondly, users would be put firmly in control, by being able to determine what data is collated.

Any information that is gathered, Myerson noted, is encrypted in transit to the Windows servers, before being stored in “secure facilities”.

There were three types of data groups outlined; two of which were collected and one that was not. The first of the two collected data sets involved safety and reliability. Myerson claimed that, in order to provide a secure and reliable experience, Microsoft harvests anonymous device ID, device type and application crash data – although no content or files.

To illustrate why this was successful, Myerson details a crash that was plaguing some users with a certain graphics driver. Harvested information allowed Microsoft to fix the issue and prevent further crashes with relative ease.

The second data set collected was dubbed ‘personalization data’. This harvests personal information, such as common search terms, to provide more relevant apps or products. The example given was for a sports fan searching regularly for information on their team, being served a more relevant experience.

Finally, Myerson explained that Windows 10 does not collect advertising data. He said: “Unlike some other platforms, no matter what privacy options you choose, neither Windows 10 nor any other Microsoft software scans the content of your email or other communications, or your files, in order to deliver targeted advertising to you.”

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Dridex malware taken down in global police sting

By on October 13, 2015 in Blog, Broadband, Internet

A global police operation has severely dented the impact of a malware strain that is thought to have cost Brits in the region of £20 million.

Dridex (sometimes referred to as Bugat or Cridex) spread to computers around the world through spam emails. Once a computer became infected, the malware would sit idle and wait until users loaded online banking sites, at which point it would switch to a login form connected to criminal infrastructure.

Armed with usernames and passwords, the criminals could then siphon off money, with estimates suggesting they could have made £20 million from UK account holders alone.

Good cop ‘Evil Corp’

The Dridex game looks to be up, though, thanks to a joint operation by the National Crime Agency (NCA), Spamhaus, GCHQ, the Metropolitan Police and the FBI – among others. They created sinkhole operations to poison the Dridex peer-to-peer network, effectively cutting off victims’ PCs from botnet masters. This was in addition to the arrest of the Dridex botnet administrator, Andrey Ghinkul, in Cyprus back in August.

Whilst the reach of Dridex could be huge, the public need not be too worried about whether they’re infected. Businesses, on the other hand, have more cause for concern. Evil Corp, which is behind the malware, focused more on companies than individuals. Furthermore, Ghinkul’s arrest brought about an immediate stop to Dridex’s spread.

That said, the malware still exists, so could be appropriated by other criminal groups operating their own botnets.

As always, Windows users are advised to keep their computers safe through up-to-date antivirus software. Plus, Word or Excel attachments from unknown sources should be treated with caution, and Microsoft Office macros should be disabled – or at least set to request permission. For further information regarding how to keep your business safe from threats speak to your IT support provider.

Head of operations at the NCA’s National Cyber Crime Unit, Mike Hulett, commented: “This is a particularly virulent form of malware and we have been working with our international law enforcement partners, as well as key partners from industry, to mitigate the damage it causes.

“Our investigation is ongoing and we expect further arrests to be made.”

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Google deals possible killer blow to Flash

By on September 22, 2015 in Blog, Google

Adobe Flash has taken another serious hit in what analysts are calling its “death by a thousand cuts”, after Google announced it would block Flash ads from auto-playing on its Chrome browser.

Making its position clear earlier this month, Google announced it would pause Flash animations on adverts by default in a bid to speed up web browsing, boost mobile battery life and improve user security. Videos will only be played if a user chooses to click on them.

As 63 per cent of all web users now run Chrome, this represents a huge potential loss for Adobe; yet another blow for the company, on top of Apple’s long-held ban on Flash videos across its range of iPods, iPhones and iPads. In addition, Mozilla temporarily blocked Flash on its Firefox browser after a vulnerability emerged that could have allowed attackers to crash a system or even take it over entirely, though that ban has since been lifted.

Worried advertisers currently using Flash ads will have the option of converting animated videos to HTML5, so they can play automatically, without the need for separate coded versions.

Final nail in the coffin?

So could this be the final nail in Flash’s coffin and what would the demise of this software actually mean for users? Our browsing experience in a world without Flash might be quicker and more secure, however, some commentators point to a reduction in choice when it comes to advertising. Wired’s Julia Greenberg insisted that the death of Flash would bring about much less competition in the market – driving people instead to the industry’s much bigger players, such as Facebook ads or Google AdWords.

Despite calling autoplay ads a “much despised technology,” she claimed that Flash’s death would bring with it even tougher times for publishers reliant on ad revenue, eventually resulting in “fewer choices” for their readers.

Her comments were backed up by Ben Edelman, a professor at Harvard Business School. He drew attention to what could be seen as a vested interest by Google. In limiting the functionality of Flash ads on Chrome, the search giant could effectively drive advertisers to its own AdWords platform – generating much more revenue as a result.

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M2 Computing Welcomes Trust Health Ltd

By on September 10, 2015 in Blog, Company news

trust-health-logo

We are very pleased to welcome a new client, Trust Health Limited.  Trust Health is a leading medical practice management company based in Horsham, West Sussex. They specialise in providing set up, commissioning and business support services to clinical groups and medical practices across the UK.

M2 Computing will be supporting the organisation with the M2 Assist Gold managed IT support package from the outset and will work with the team to migrate the business to Office 365 providing a more flexible working environment with easy access from any device.

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