7 Microsoft Add Ins You’ll Never Be Able to Work Without Again

Once we’ve returned to the office this summer, life may feel rather hectic. It may take time to readjust, and your team’s productivity will no doubt take a hit. Thankfully we have a selection of Microsoft Add ins that can easily make your life more productive.  

Chances are you’ll enjoy using them so much, they may become a cornerstone of your IT team’s training. Or even become as important as maintaining good cybersecurity and keeping your files organised. 

Woodpecker  

This Microsoft Add In was originally designed to create templates within legal documents. Today it’s used by a range of industries for any Word doc. Letters, emails, proposals, and reports. If you’re regularly creating slightly varied versions of the same document, Woodpecker is your best friend. Simply highlight the areas that you want editable and set the areas you want to remain constant to uneditable.  

DocuSign  

All businesses need to regularly sign documents. And this Microsoft Add In will let you sign documents without leaving Microsoft Word. All you need to do is drag and drop the space for a signature to different areas of the document, leaving recipients to fill it with their signature.  

FindTime  

Scheduling made easy. This Outlook Add-In will show you where the optimum openings in your co-workers’ calendars are. You can view multiple slots, and everyone can vote on their ideal time. Basically, it saves you from sending a bunch of emails or visiting everyone’s desk just to get a consensus.  

Polly  

Getting a quick response from your team can be a nightmare. Especially in a hectic office. Polly, the Microsoft Teams Add In, lets you create a poll and get feedback from your team rapidly. At the very least it saves clogging up your inbox or overloading Microsoft Teams with notifications.  

Boomerang  

This Microsoft Add In can help fight the headache that email creates. It has a range of functions including the ability to schedule an email for a later date, an “inbox pause” capability, and the option for creating a visual grid that – similar to FindTime – can display your availability for the week.  

Read My Document  

Sometimes you need a second pair of eyes to read your work aloud and make sure it sounds right. But sometimes there’s nobody in the office around to help. Read My Document will make your computer read your documents to you. This works for a range of programs including Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.  

Template Phrases  

If you find you’re using the same phrases in your emails over and over again, Template Phrases can throw them in with just a single click. If you reply to lots of emails on a daily basis this tool is guaranteed to save you time.  The more you get to know your technology, the more it’ll look after you. In a sense, treat your technology as you would an employee: with care and constant consideration. The Cloud has a world of benefits to offer your business beyond Microsoft Add ins and Microsoft 365.  

So click here if you’re ready to take advantage of everything The Cloud offers. 

Eight top cyber security tips to protect yourself online

Whether you are in the office, at home or browsing the internet from your phone, ensuring your data is protected online is vitally important. 

Knowing what you can do to protect yourself against modern digital threats is key, but knowing where to start can be difficult. 

Don’t worry though, because help is at hand from TrueMSP director Neil Shaw. He’s put together his eight top cyber security tips which are simple but effective ways to protect yourself online. 

1. Keep software up to date. 

Installing software updates for your operating system and programs is critical. Updates are released all the time so regularly check that you have the latest updates installed. 

Ways to do this: 

  • If your IT systems are not managed by an IT company, such as TrueMSP, then you should switch on your automatic updates. 
  • Use Firefox or Chrome as your web browser because they receive regular updates.
  • Update all of your third party apps, such as Java and Flash.

2. Always use a strong password 

We all have too many passwords to remember so most people reuse the same password for multiple sites. However, you wouldn’t have the same key for all your locks so why use the same password for all your accounts? To make things simple you could use a password manager, such as KeePass or LastPass, which securely store all of your password in an encrypted vault. They allow you to automatically generate a very complex password that you don’t have to remember because the programs store them for you. 

Whether you use a password manager or not, please follow these best practices: 

  • Update your password periodically – at least once every three months
  • Use a strong mix of characters including numbers and special characters
  • A long password is more secure than a short one. Try to make the passwords at least 10 characters. 20+ is the recommended amount.
  • Never share your password with anyone.

3. Avoid Phishing scams and other malicious emails. 

Phishing emails, which try to trick you into entering your details to gain access to your online accounts, have become a real nuisance over the last couple of years. Phishing scams can also be over the phone, by text or through social media, so it’s important to be vigilant when entering your account details into any site, especially one you’ve not requested access to. 

Please remember: 

  • Be wary of any emails or websites that ask you to enter your account or personal details.
  • Messages that say “You’ve been hacked” or “please login to remove threat” are always malicious
  • If you think something doesn’t look right the chances are it isn’t.
  • Switch off your PC/laptop if you are concerned that your device has been taken over by someone.

4. Think before you click 

Along with Phishing scams, you should be mindful when clicking on any internet links, especially when you’ve gone to the webpage by choice. 

So bear in mind: 

  • Hovering your mouse over a link will reveal its true destination. For example a link to thecompanyyouwanttolookat.com may actually go to ihavenowgotyourdata.com
  • Email attachments should always be verified before clicking. If you’ve recently spoken to the person sending the email you’re generally OK to open the attachment. However, if an email comes in and you’re not expecting an attachment, double check by contacting the sender. Do this by phone or by sending a separate email and not replying to the one you’ve just received. Much like links, email addresses can be spoofed. You can check them in the same way as a website link.

5. Never leave your devices unattended 

Physically securing your devices is as important as locking your PC. Once you’ve lost your data you can’t encrypt it or delete it unless that feature is enabled (mobile phones) 

So, remember:

  • Never leave your laptop, PC or mobile device unattended.
  • Don’t store sensitive data on a USB stick or USB hard drive without locking them away when not in use.
  • Encrypt your USB sticks using Windows 10 (BitLocker feature).
  • Look at using a secure cloud to store your data rather than a physical device.

6. Use your mobile devices safely 

Many of us rely on our mobile devices, however they’re susceptible to attack in much the same way as your computer. 

My advice is: 

  • Always lock your device with a PIN or password.
  • Only install apps from trusted sources.
  • Keep your device’s operating system updated.
  • Don’t click on links or attachments from unsolicited emails or texts.
  • Avoid transmitting or storing personal information on the device. 
  • Backup your data.

7. Install an anti-virus package 

There are many anti-virus packages available. We recommend Webroot or Bitdefender. These packages use ‘definitions’ which is a database of all the known threats currently out there. Keeping them up-to-date is important.

Webroot and Bitdefender also use artificial intelligence which helps with threats that aren’t listed in the definitions. This technology is improving every day yet no anti-virus package will be 100% effective. Anti-virus packages are an extra line of defence, not the only line of defence.

8. Back up your data 

If all else fails and your data is encrypted by a cyber-attack or your device is stolen what’s your backup plan?

  • Backup software is inexpensive and can offer a range of storage – local USB stick, NAS (Network storage) or Cloud.
  • Cloud storage can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection.

If you are concerned about your cyber security, contact TrueMSP to see how we can help. 

Meet the latest recruit to the TrueMSP team

TrueMSP is delighted to introduce our latest recruit – Gavin Potter. 

Gavin, who has 20 years of experience in the IT industry, is our new Technical Lead and will focus on project work and onboarding new clients. 

His job is to ensure we continue to offer first class, personal customer service to all of our clients when tending to your technical needs. 

Gavin’s specialist areas include cyber security, the Cloud and new technologies so another of his roles will be to research the latest tech that we can offer our clients. 

To help you to get to know Gavin, here’s 7 facts about him: 

  1. Avid track day attendee 
  2. Owns two Siberian Huskies 
  3. Competes in endurance mountain biking
  4. Came 3rd in the British National Ice-skating championships in 1996 
  5. Worked for one of the UK’s leading virtualisation specialists
  6. Collects retro gaming consoles 
  7. Only drinks tea 

TrueMSP launches free training sessions for clients

Do you want to know more about cyber security, learn how to use the latest features of Office 365 or see the latest IT technology in action? 

Well, now TrueMSP’s clients can learn about these things – and more – for free, thanks to the launch of our new training workshops and seminars. 

The events will take place in the brand-new Conference and Training Room at TrueMSP’s headquarters in Castle Donington and be led by directors, Neil and Tim, and members of our highly experienced team. 

Topics for planned workshops and seminars include: 

  • Cyber Security; 
  • Office 365 and the Cloud; 
  • Back-up and disaster recovery; 
  • Voice Over IP (VOIP) phone systems; 
  • Latest technology showcase. 

Clients interested in attending a training session should contact the Midlands office on 01332 948600 for further details. 

Outsourcing your IT support and services

Outsourcing your IT support and services to a Managed Services Provider offers benefits only usually seen by large businesses with their own dedicated IT department but at a fraction of the cost.  

So, what can a Managed Services Provider like True MSP offer your business? 

  • Cost saving – An internal IT resource costs on average 4 times that of outsourcing. 
  • Helpdesk support – Resolving day-to-day issues your team has with their IT equipment. 
  • Infrastructure support – Maintaining your server, printers and networking hardware. 
  • Cloud service management – Managing your cloud services such as Office 365/Azure. 
  • Patch management – Regular updates for your PC’s/Laptops and servers. 
  • Realtime monitoring – Keeping an eye on the health of all key systems. 
  • Backup & Disaster Recovery management – Ensuring your data is safe and available. 
  • Regular IT Director advice – Advising on key technology decisions. 
  • Strategic Roadmap – Planning for the future to help you achieve your objectives. 
  • IT procurement – All your hardware requirements can be fulfilled by us. 
  • 3rd party support – Working with your software suppliers to resolve issues. 
  • Reliability – IT staff holidays or sickness doesn’t affect your IT support and services. 
  • No HR or oncosts – One simple monthly fee covering all your IT support & services.  

In addition to the above we offer anti-virus and spam filtering software, backup and disaster recover solutions, superfast broadband to suit any business, VOIP telephony and a host of other services, all designed to help you leverage time and increase productivity. 

One of the most rewarding pieces of feedback we’ve had captures one of our mission statements perfectly.  

“Our staff are happier since we started working with you!” 

To find out more why not get in touch. Our fresh approach to IT support & service has already helped many SME’s in the Midlands achieve their business objectives. 

Call us on 01332 948600