Have you ever wondered whether or not your Microsoft 365 data is secure and protected?
Many users sadly become victims to cyber attacks due to not knowing that Microsoft aren’t actually protecting their valuable data. Adepteq SaaS Protection makes it easier and more cost effective than ever to safeguard all of your Microsoft 365 data- putting your mind at ease.
So, what is Adepteq SaaS Protection?
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is an intelligent way to deliver applications over the internet. These SaaS apps have revolutionised the way we do businesses. It allows companies to limit installation and maintenance of software by accessing applications with a click of a button. Adepteq Datto SaaS Protection helps you to remove the risk of losing any or all of your data with a simple, automated and secure backup of your Office 365 Data.
Feeling unsecure and want to know how we can protect your data?
We’re holding a FREE Online Webinar on ‘Protecting your Microsoft 365 data with Adepteq SaaS Protection’!
Our Webinar takes place on Wednesday 22nd September 2021 from 10:00AM – 10:45AM BST.
The following topics will be covered:
- Microsoft’s backup recommendation
- The threat landscape
- How to protect your data
- Ransomware in action (demo)
- Recovering your data
There will also be a short Q&A where our experts and presenters- Ian Loman and Adam Salley will be able to provide additional support.
This webinar is free of charge and is held in English. You can participate using Microsoft Teams in web browser, desktop app or mobile app. If the date and time is not suitable, sign up anyway and we will send you the presentation and a recording of the webinar.
If you want to know how to Secure and Protect your Microsoft 365 Data with Adepteq SaaS Protection, REGISTER NOW for our Free Webinar to avoid missing out!
On August 17th 2021, Microsoft will continue the march away from Internet Explorer as Microsoft 365 apps and services will no longer work when using Internet Explorer 11. Microsoft stated, those who choose to continue using these apps with Internet Explorer 11, will have “a degraded experience”. The apps and services will begin to phase out over the next few months which will ensure a smooth phase out.
Support won’t be available for people who run into issues trying to access Microsoft 365 apps and services through Internet Explorer 11. Microsoft explains that users will not be getting any new features and that the daily usage of these apps and services will get worse as time goes on, until these apps and services are permanently disconnected.
Microsoft further outlines the application experience that people will have with Internet Explorer 11 starting on August 17th 2021:
- Outlook Web App: Users logging in with AAD accounts will still receive the full OWA experience but will not receive new features beginning August 17, 2021, while users logging in with Microsoft Accounts (MSA) will be redirected to the Outlook Web App Light experience.
- Open with Explorer/View in File Explorer (SharePoint): We understand that some customers may continue to use Open with Explorer and View in File Explorer (only accessible in IE11) to access document libraries. To avoid disruption, these customers will be able to use these features for now when they go to a document library in IE11. These features remain in maintenance mode and aren’t receiving further development. We encourage all customers to move to a modern browser and OneDrive sync for a better user experience and easier access to files. For more information on how to prepare your SharePoint environment for end of support on IE11, please read this Docs article.
- All other apps and services will phase out over weeks and months to ensure a smooth end of support. Each app and service phasing out on independent schedules.
Microsoft has been clear about the end of support for Internet Explorer and for some time, Microsoft have been issuing statements to warn and advise. To continue using Microsoft 365 apps and services, then you need to migrate to a more modern internet browser solution.
Our expert developers can assist you in your migration, and provide support for as long as you need. Contact us today, to see how you can get the most out of your Microsoft 365 apps and services.
To read the full Microsoft article, click here.
The leading provider of human layer security, Egress, recently announced getting their hands on Aquilai, an anti-phishing provider with natural language processing technology and machine learning that puts all targeted email attacks, impersonation and spear phishing attempts to a halt. Egress Intelligent Email Security platforms are strengthened due to the acquisition of Aquilai.
Egress and Aquilai are a powerful combination that will provide customers with protection against all inbound cyberattacks targeting employees and real-time outbound email security for shared data, including inadvertent data loss and email encryption. Due to the increased volume and sophistication of targeted phishing attacks, security leaders need an intelligent, non-disruptive email security solution that detects multi-vector exploits and thwarts zero-day attacks. With seamless integration, Microsoft Outlook will enable organisations to effectively defend against email data loss and the increasing number of attacks targeting the 365 platform.
The acquisition will begin immediately with the launch of Egress Defend, incorporating Aquilai’s anti-phishing technology and the following key capabilities:
- Machine learning and natural language to detect all phishing attacks. Egress Defend detects and mitigates all zero day phishing attacks, including advanced threats such as BEC and brand forgery, CEO fraud and impersonation attempts, and spear phishing.
- Content and context analysis for inbound email traffic. Egress Defend detects BEC and social engineering attacks, including those utilising open-source intelligence (OSINT), to provide enhanced security versus relationship-based solutions.
- Streamlined user engagement for enhanced cybersecurity awareness among employees. Egress Defend includes traffic light warnings and insight summaries to provide active learning to educate users about the threats they face.
Egress CEO Tony Pepper comments: “Organisations face a daily onslaught of targeted attacks via email that are designed to exploit employees. By acquiring Aquilai, Egress will expand its protection over our customers’ human layer to ensure they can defend against targeted inbound attacks and outbound data loss as employees share content. I’m also personally delighted to welcome Jack Chapman as our new VP of Threat Intelligence and look forward to working with him to help our customers level-up in their fight against phishing.”
Chapman comments: “Aquilai is the perfect fit to advance Egress’ mission to secure the human layer, adding sophisticated anti-phishing capability to existing products that secure outbound content as it is shared by employees. I’m also delighted to be joining Egress as VP of Threat Intelligence to further accelerate the company’s high growth in EMEA and North America.”
As a result of the acquisition and launch of Egress Defend, the Aquilai Ajax brand will be retired from 1st June 2021.
So how can Adepteq help?
We partnered with Aquilai to provide our clients with leading edge protection against the most common (and costly!) form of cyber attack. Once we understand your environment we will provide a proposal to deploy Egress Defend to work alongside your existing defences, with licences on a per user basis.
Adepteq can provide an online demo and arrange a 10-day free Proof of Value, so you can see how Egress Defend works in your environment. Simply visit our page to arrange your online demo and to speak to our experts.
If you would like to read the full article click here.
Are you considering a new intranet to support productivity and daily work within your organisation? Then we have an interesting webinar for you.
In this 45-minute webinar, Phil Cave, our technical director, and Anders Fagerlund, Product Offering Lead for Omnia, will discuss the important aspects of how to implement a successful intranet, and talk about whether to invest in a bespoke or a product-based solution.
On the agenda:
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Introduction – common solution examples from intranets.
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Aspects of the implementation project, methods, costs, risks etc.
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How to manage the intranet long-term.
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Recommendations and take-aways.
There will be a Q&A at the end of this webinar session.
If you have any questions about the webinar, please contact us here.
We look forward to your registration!
Target audience
This event is primarily aimed at roles like CIO, CCO, CTO, Digital Workplace or Intranet Managers or similar roles within organizations planning to improve their digital workplace based on Microsoft technology.
General information
This webinar is free of charge and you can participate using a web browser or a mobile app. If the date and time don’t suit you, sign up anyway and we will share the presentation and a recording of the webinar.
Registration
Sign up via this form and you will receive a confirmation with a link to the meeting within 15 minutes. If you haven't received the confirmation email, please check your spam folder.
Unfortunately, we cannot accept registrations from private email addresses (gmail, outlook, yahoo, etc.)
Working from home and remaining creative can sometimes come with challenges such as limited space, resources and support from co-workers. Microsoft Whiteboard is a solution that makes it easier to be creative, remotely.
Microsoft Whiteboard is a free-form, digital canvas where people, content, and ideas come together. Whiteboard integration in Microsoft Teams meetings is powered by the Whiteboard web app, which lets Teams meeting participants draw, sketch, and write together on a shared digital canvas. Users can share a whiteboard to make it available to all participants in a Teams meeting. That same whiteboard is simultaneously available in all the Whiteboard applications on Windows 10, iOS, and the web app.
How do I get started with a whiteboard in a Teams meeting?
You can share a whiteboard to make it available to all participants in a Teams meeting. After joining a Teams meeting, click the Share icon in the share tray of that meeting.
- In the Whiteboard section, select Microsoft Whiteboard.
Note: The ability to start a new whiteboard is currently limited to the Microsoft Teams clients on Windows 10, macOS, and for the web. The Teams apps for iOS and Android cannot initiate sharing a whiteboard, but they can collaborate once a whiteboard is shared.
How do you use the whiteboard in a Teams meeting?
A soon as the Whiteboard canvas has been started, Teams meeting attendees can ink and type collaboratively. To add ink, click the Pen icon, select a colour, and then begin to draw, sketch, or write on the board. To add text, click the Note or Text icons, and then begin to type. These objects can be moved around on the canvas.
If a Teams meeting is recorded, will it include Whiteboard as part of the recording?
If you share a whiteboard during a Teams meeting that is being recorded, it will not be part of the recording. Microsoft are yet to announce when this feature will be available.
Can I access and continue working on a whiteboard after a Teams meeting ends?
After a Teams meeting, its whiteboard will be available to all participants from the Teams meeting chat, in a tab labelled Whiteboard. The whiteboard will also be available in the Board Gallery in the Microsoft Whiteboard apps for Windows 10 and iOS, so that meeting attendees can continue collaborating on a whiteboard even after a meeting has ended.
Can anyone start or ink on a whiteboard in a Teams meeting?
Teams meeting attendees within the same Microsoft 365 tenant can collaborate on a whiteboard. Anonymous, federated, or external users are not yet supported. Microsoft are yet to announce when collaboration will be added as a feature.
So where can Microsoft Whiteboard integration with Microsoft Teams take you? At Adepteq, we are delighted that Microsoft have given organisations the resources to remain engaged, creative and experimental through a collaborative feature such as Whiteboard.
If you would like to see how your workplace can enhance creativity and productivity during the pandemic and working remotely, contact us now to discuss your options.
Click here to read the full Microsoft Whiteboard Release Article.
Adepteq are excited to share that ClearBox Consulting has today announced their Intranet Choices for 2021 and Omnia has been awarded Intranet Choice Europe.
Since 2016 UK based ClearBox Consulting has published a comprehensive report on intranet in a box-products for SharePoint and Microsoft 365. In 2020 they also released a similar report for independent intranet in a box-products. The purpose of both reports is to help workplace leaders, intranet managers, and IT professionals understand the market and match products to priority requirements. These reports are useful as they allow users to keep up with the growing demands and technology changes.
Over 70 products are covered within the reviews and today ClearBox Consulting has announced their Intranet Choices for 2021. The choices are a selection of products that the UK-based company feels are strong candidates for anyone’s best-fit shortlist.
Omnia has for the fourth year in a row been awarded the badge Intranet Choice Europe.
Anders Fagerlund, Product Offering Lead for Omnia, comments:
– We are thrilled to receive the badge for the fourth year in a row, especially since the choices have been made between all intranet in a box-products in the market – not only the ones designed to work on the Microsoft stack.
– Omnia got the highest possible score for User Experience which always has been a priority for us when developing the product. It was also great to see that the market-leading performance, an area that we have put a lot of effort in, was highlighted in the report.
Johan Schedin Jigland, Product Delivery Lead for Omnia, comments:
– During the last year, we have launched some game-changing new features that have been developed in close collaboration with some of our customers, so I would like to share the award with them. This work includes seamless integration with Microsoft Teams, a concept for mirroring intranet content to users that don’t have Microsoft 365 accounts and more, and I’m sure this has been significant for making Omnia perform well in all reviewed scenarios.
In the review, Omnia is viewed as a capable and pleasant product that works elegantly alongside and on top of Microsoft’s applications. The review also states that “users are likely to be happy with the attractive and easy-to-use approach, while content owners will appreciate the support for creating appealing content and admins will enjoy the degree of flexibility and control that they have.”
Adepteq chose to partner with Omnia as they continue to provide outstanding, and award winning applications for businesses using the Microsoft Cloud. If you would like to see how the Omnia Intranet in a Box solution can support and work for you, get in contact with Ian Loman ( ian.loman@adepteq-omnia.com) to book a demo.
Microsoft Teams replaces Skype for Business Online in July 2021!
Following the announcements in 2020 that Microsoft Teams replaces Skype for Business Online by the end of July 2021, we want to make sure that you have everything you need to have a successful migration. Whether you're thinking of upgrading to Microsoft Teams or enhancing your Microsoft Teams keep reading on to find out what the fuss is all about!
Why should you upgrade to Microsoft Teams?
Microsoft Teams successfully extends the abilities of Skype for Business by bringing together calling, chats, meetings, collaborations, file storage and app integration into one single platform. This central hub streamlines the way teamwork is done, improving user satisfaction and accelerating your company's businesses plans. Microsoft are constantly making changes and updates to Microsoft Teams ensuring workforces are able to collaborate and communicate in a multitude of ways with limited restrictions. Your staff are working from home during Covid-19 and struggling to stay connected, and by migrating to Microsoft Teams we help you resolve this.
Working remotely has led to the need for people to feel connected whilst staying online. Gone are the days where we go to a conference room or pop to a colleagues desk for a catch-up. With Microsoft Teams, you won't miss out on the social interaction with video calls and instant messaging chats, as well as the ability to set up and schedule meetings one-on-one or as a group.
How can Adepteq help you?
Our experienced developers and business teams are experts when it comes to setting companies up with Microsoft Teams. We are here to educate and make you feel comfortable with Microsoft Teams right from the set-up stage all the way to integrating it within workforces.
While the Skype for Business Online service will be fully functional until July 31st 2021, we encourage organisations to begin their journey today. Make sure you allow ample time to complete your upgrade prior to the retirement date.
Contact us for more information on upgrading to Microsoft Teams today by completing our form.
In this atypical year, many of us have discovered a new sense of appreciation for our computers as critical tools to get work done. Now more than ever, we are looking for new ways to be productive on our laptops and desktops. Microsoft 365 delivers great experiences that help users work easier and faster on their favourite devices. With this in mind, we want to share some of the latest Microsoft 365 innovations that can make you even more productive on a Mac.
Universal app support for Macs with M1 is here
Microsoft have announced they are releasing new versions of many of their Microsoft 365 for Mac apps that run natively on Macs with M1. This means that now the core flagship Office apps - Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote - will run faster and take full advantage of the performance improvements on new Macs, making you even more productive on the latest MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini. The new Office apps are Universal, so they will continue to run great on Macs with Intel processors. The apps are not only speedy, but they also look fantastic as they have been redesigned to math the new look of macOS Big Sur. Here is a peek at Outlook on the new 13-inch MacBook Pro.
If you have automatic updates turned on, you will start to receive these updates now. Otherwise, you can go to the Mac App Store and click the updates tab, or with Microsoft AutoUpdate, you can go to your Office app's Help menu and choose Check for Updates. Plus, find more commonly asked questions on Microsoft's support page.
With more than 115M daily active users, Teams has become a critical part of the way many people are navigating the current situation. Teams allows you to meet, chat, call, and collaborate all in a single app. And, when people work in Teams, they all get the full breadth and depth of Microsoft 365. Microsoft Teams is currently available in Rosetta emulation mode on Macs with M1 and the browser. We are working on universal app support for M1 Macs and will share more news as our work progresses. Download the Teams app for your Mac here.
Microsoft 365 experiences made for Mac
Over the past months, Microsoft have redesigned the experiences in the flagship apps for Mac with a focus on simplicity to improve ease of use. The new Outlook for Mac looks great with a redesign that matches the new look of macOS Big Sur, and an updated Office Start experience for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote for Mac that incorporates the Fluent UI design system. This means that Microsoft 365 apps enable you to be more focused with immersive experiences that are easier to use right from the first screen. Experiences that feel both unmistakably Microsoft 365 and include elements that are native to the look of macOS so they are also unmistakably made for Mac. The new Office Start experience will be available next month.
Microsoft have announced support of iCloud account in the new Outlook for Mac. This will enabled you to organise work and personal emails, contacts, and calendars together in one app so it is easier for you to stay connected to what matters. We will start to roll this out using the new Outlook for Mac in the coming weeks.
Work your way
Another area of focus is to make Microsoft 365 apps work the way you do. Through many new innovations on Mac apps, Microsoft's goal is to help you get work done in more simple and intuitive ways.
Tell Me is a search box that quickly gets you to the Office tools you need or actions you want to take by just typing what you are looking for in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or OneNote for Mac. Microsoft Search in the new Outlook for Mac allows you to type out your query or question using language you use every day to find emails, events, and files - no fancy syntax needed. These capabilities help simplify how you use Microsoft 365 apps to achieve more and are now available to all Mac users.
A commonly used productivity hack is to use your phone to capture images of important information you want to work on. With Data from Picture, you can take a photo of a table directly on your iPhone and turn it into data you can edit in Excel for Mac. This handy new feature uses Continuity Camera on your Mac and is also available now.
Voice input is a growing part of our digital lives and can be a great way to simplify your workflow. A new dictation toolbar with voice commands for creating content with your voice is coming to Word and Outlook for Mac. In addition, to help you check spelling, correct grammar, and get writing style suggestions, Microsoft will enabled Microsoft Editor in Word for Mac. These updates will be available to users with access to Microsoft 365 for Insiders in early 2021.
New ways to work together
The shift to remote work highlights the need for teams to collaborate with agility, while ensuring sensitive data stays secure and meets compliance requirements. The Microsoft 365 app teams have been busy getting modern collaboration and compliance capabilities ready so you can work from home more effectively on your Mac.
Sharing your calendars in Outlook with your co-workers helps you manage your time more efficiently. By giving access to participants' calendars through simplified permissions, planning meetings and events is quick and easy. Based on the Microsoft sync technology and connected architecture, Outlook can provide reliable and faster synchronisation of calendar events across Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android, and Web, keeping you on track of your time your way. The new Outlook for Mac will support shared calendars for customers subscribed to the Office Insider Mac Beta Channel in the first months of next year.
When creating new content as a team, the ability to collaborate around documents and presentations becomes especially valuable when your team is not in the same location. The new modern commenting experience in Word for Mac enables a contextual view of comments that allows you to focus on your content without missing active comments by contributors and reviewers. Modern commenting also includes improved @mentions in PowerPoint and Word for Mac that make it easier to reply to comments. The new @mentions experience is available now in PowerPoint for enterprise users. Modern commenting for Word is in the Office Insider Beta Channel now and coming to Current Channel Preview in February 2021.
Have you ever collaborated with someone in a worksheet and suddenly your view changes and you are unable to finish you work? This can often happen when an active collaborator adds filters or sorts the data in a table of a shared worksheet. Excel sheet view is a new way to create customised views to sort and filter your data without disrupting what others see. This capability is an example of customer-driven product improvement and is now available on Excel for Mac.
Last, but certainly not least, Microsoft Information Protection sensitivity labels allow you to classify and protect your organisation's data with minimal effort through manual and automatic content labeling. Manual labeling is available on Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook for Mac. Automatic labeling is coming to these same apps for Microsoft 365 E5 customers in early 2021.
If you want to try out new Office features first and make a difference in the products you use every day, please join the Office Insiders and check out the Mac channels.
Adepteq will help you with any questions or concerns you have about Microsoft 365 and any related applications. Call us on 0800 6444 365, or contact us via our website and let our team of experts help you with what you need.
In the months since remote work became the new normal for many of us, we've all had our fair share of "virtual everything", from customer meetings to online events and virtual team gatherings. Businesses of all sizes are using Microsoft Teams to stay connected, whether as part of their Microsoft 365 plan, or the free version of Microsoft Teams, which enables you to meet, chat, and collaborate securely, all in one place, at no cost.
Here are five things about the free version of Teams that make remote work easier, including new features now available.
1. Schedule meetings with anyone
Earlier this year Microsoft delivered scheduled meetings in the free version of Teams, answering one of the most frequent feature requests. When scheduling a meeting, organisers can either copy the meeting link to send it directly to other participants or send an invite via Outlook of Google calendar. Anyone, including external participants, can join meetings in one click - no setup or account required.
Microsoft are also adding the ability to view past and upcoming meetings in Teams. Soon you'll be able to view and edit all the meetings you scheduled in Teams, including their security options, right from the Meetings app on the left rail.
2. Reduce meeting fatigue with Together mode
Together mode is a new meeting experience in Teams that digitally places meeting participants in a shared background. It's great for meetings in which multiple people speak, such as brainstorms or roundtable discussion, because it makes it easier to pick up body language and non-verbal cues. Together mode is now available in the free version of Teams with a variety of scenes including auditoriums, conference rooms, and even a coffee shop.
3. Work with external stakeholders using guest access
Often you need to collaborate with people outside your organisation, such as clients, suppliers, and partners. You can do so directly in Teams by adding them as a guest. Guest access allows you to provide access to certain teams and chats to people outside the organisation, while maintaining control over your company data.
Note: Guest access is not required to join a meeting.
4. Share files with built-in cloud storage or integrate your existing storage
The free version of Teams comes with 10 GB of team cloud storage and 2 GB or personal cloud storage per user. This allows organisations to securely store, access, and share important documents in Teams. You can even co-author Word, Excel, and Power Point files with colleagues in real time within the Teams app.
Want to keep using your existing cloud storage service? No problem. You can easily integrate third party storage providers such as Google Drive, Dropbox, and Box, enabling you to view, manage, and share those files in Teams as well.
5. Brainstorm together with Whiteboard in Teams
Whiteboard in Teams makes it easy to run brainstorming and creative thinking sessions in a remote or hybrid work environment. Each Teams meetings has a dedicated whiteboard where participants can draw, sketch, and write on a shared digital canvas. You can also quickly add sticky notes to a whiteboard, making it easy to contribute if you're not using a digital pen.
Adepteq use Teams ourselves and have successfully planned, deployed, trained on and are supporting Microsoft Teams with many of our clients.
If you would like to know more visit our Microsoft Teams page or to discuss how Microsoft Teams can improve your communication and collaboration, then please contact us or call 0800 6444 365.
