The Manhattan Tech Support Guide to Microsoft Office 365 – Part 2

While there are now over 155 million individuals using the latest version of Microsoft Office 365, there are many others that are unsure about the true benefits that the software provides, or even exactly how cloud computing can help their company arrive at a new level of productivity.

In the first blog post in this two-part series, we explored how the cloud has supercharged Microsoft’s well-known office applications – Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. But those are just one part of what makes Office 365 so revolutionary.

To truly grasp the complete advantages of Office 365, let’s dig a bit deeper into the concept of cloud computing and see how it can fundamentally improve the way your company collaborates and works.

microsoft office 365 blog july 2019 image 1

Microsoft SharePoint and OneDrive Are Foundations for Cloud Success

Placing your data and files in the cloud allows them to move between systems and people with unprecedented ease. It isn’t just about one person sharing a file as they would do with an email attachment, it’s about orchestrating your technology to provide up-to-date data to every person and application in your organization, enabling robust real-time collaboration.

Sharing data in the cloud is so important that Microsoft has developed two separate applications for the task, Microsoft SharePoint and Microsoft OneDrive. Though these applications may appear similar on one level, and share a common foundation, they are built with two different purposes in mind.

OneDrive – Cloud File Sharing for Individuals and Small Teams

OneDrive was designed to meet the cloud storage needs of small business and teams. While a user can grant share permissions to others as needed, by default access is maintained by just the primary user. Although rather limited in its ability to provide comprehensive cloud productivity to your whole organization, OneDrive is an excellent place for small businesses to begin their journey to the cloud.

Here are some of the features that users often tell us they like about OneDrive:

  • Sync data between devices and the cloud with ease
  • Store data on Microsoft servers where it’s safe
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Want To Clean Up Your Windows 10? Try Defragging It.

“Defragging” or defragment sounds pretty technical. Truth is, there’s really nothing technical about it. It just refers to a process that can help boost your computer’s performance.

The process is very simple and it can help every computer-user like you. So, if you want to boost your computer’s performance by cleaning up your hard drive in Windows 10, you can do so by defragging it.

It’s simple to defragment – or ‘defrag’ – your storage in Windows 10. If you have a hard drive you’ve been using for a long time without disk defragmentation, you may have noticed performance steadily slowing down.

That likely means it’s time to perform a defrag on that drive.

(Via: https://www.techradar.com/how-to/how-to-defrag-windows-10)

You might wonder how defragging a hard drive can help boost the performance of your computer. Here’s what happens when you defrag a hard drive.

Disk defragmentation moves chunks of information on a disk around so that related data are physically closer together on the hard disk. This helps improve speeds on the disk, as more data can be read consecutively without the need to jump around between sections of the disk. It can also allow for faster write speeds for the same reason, as newly written data can go on the drive in order.

(Via: https://www.techradar.com/how-to/how-to-defrag-windows-10)

Here are the steps to defrag your hard disk.

• Step one: Press the Windows Key and type ‘defrag’ into the search bar, then select “Defragment and Optimize Drives” from the results.
If your search bar is misbehaving or you don’t see the above results, you can also reach the tool by opening the Control Panel, selecting System and Security, and then selecting “Defragment and optimize your drives” underneath the Administrative Tools header.
You can get to the Control Panel by pressing the Windows Key and typing “Control Panel” into the search bar and selecting the result or you can open the Start Menu, scroll down to the Windows System folder, open it, and select Control Panel from inside.
• Step two: Examine the list

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Ruckus Wi-Fi a slam dunk at Thunder’s Chesapeake Energy Arena

Paul Kapustka of the Mobile Sports Report recently highlighted our Wi-Fi slam dunk at the home of the NBA’s Thunder. While some stadiums install Wi-Fi access points (APs) under seats or in handrails, the 18,000 seat Chesapeake Energy Arena and Rectitude 369 chose a more traditional top-down method for its fan-facing Wi-Fi deployment.

According to Chris Nelson, manager of information technology (IT) for venue manager SMG, placing APs under seats in the 581,000 square foot stadium would have been “very costly.” This is primarily due to a large number of retractable seats in the arena. Instead, the Thunder selected Ruckus (now part of CommScope via acquisition) access points that were hung 96 feet above the arena floor.  

“Ruckus was the only one whose gear [access points] could reach down all the way,” Nelson explained.

To support a more interactive fan experience, 350 Ruckus access points were installed in the arena, with another 60 deployed across the street at the 100,000 square foot Cox Convention Center. Tyler Lane, director of technology for the Thunder, told the Mobile Sports Report that the team slowly rolled out the stadium’s Wi-Fi service to allow targeted testing and feedback from season ticket holders.

“We got some good feedback,” said Lane. “Then, when we went to a full rollout, we had signage in the concourses, communications via ticketing services and announcements over the PA and on the scoreboard [to tell fans about the system].”

According to Lane, a recent game pitting the Thunder against the Golden State Warriors saw 589.3 gigabytes of traffic generated by 2,738 clients connected to the Ruckus network. With the Ruckus Wi-Fi deployment now a proven slam dunk, the Thunder is utilizing its wireless network to further enhance the fan experience with support for an app that features digital ticketing options, live streaming of press conferences and an artificial intelligence chatbot (AI) that provides real-time arena information about the concession stand options.

“It’s really all about enhancing the fan experience [and] Ruckus
did a fantastic job of asking all the right questions …

The Perfect Business Blend: How to Find Balance Between Productivity vs. Security and Compliance

However, in order for each one of them to work successfully, business owners must find common ground between each of them.

The truth is productivity, security, and compliance are all important to your business. However, in order for each one of them to work successfully, business owners must find common ground between each of them. More importantly, it’s imperative to define how each of them apply to your business needs too. On the one hand, you’re business is always trying to meet the demands of higher productivity and then on the other hand, security and compliance become just as important. How does your business find a way to balance their goals of productivity, security, and governance? 

  How To Balance Productivity, Security & Compliance 

Your business may define productivity as producing 500 units one week and then 800 the next. It’s obvious your level of productivity has increased. Your business was more productive in the second week than in the first, right? For a service provider, your productivity is defined by the number of customers your business is able to serve. However, today, productivity means giving your employees the flexibility of doing their job which could mean logging into your network from a mobile device, but this opens the door for exploitation by hackers. So, how do you continue to balance productivity, security, and compliance? The experts suggests; “a professional blend of management, resources, and strategy.” 

The need for productivity has created a demand for device compatibility, new workforce benefits, new technology, and vendors that have access to your network information. This has created IT obstacles that have never existed before which insights the need for a balance between productivity, security, and compliance. In fact, it may be harder for small business to keep up with the demands of all three, but here’s how your business can find the perfect balance: 

  • Choose To Be Adaptive & Context-Aware 

Stop asking users to authentic themselves and take the matter into your own hands. For example, when a user is logging into your network, background authentication checks like: are they using the same device, has their number recently been ported or are they logging …

Wi-Fi 6 and the need for speed

by Neil Goddard

My teenage daughter recently came home from school with a dilemma. As a decent sprint runner in her age group, she’d been asked to compete in an inter-school competition with the possibility to progress to county and national level. The challenge is this clashed with existing commitments to dance lessons. To make a decision we raced to check the current national records for the 100 and 200m distances for Under-15 girls, and within seconds, Google provided the answers.

Wi-Fi 6

That got me thinking back to my school days at a similar age, over 30 years ago. Such a piece of research, as was commonly set for homework, often entailed a cold and wet bicycle ride to the local town library. There the many volumes of encyclopedia Britannica had to be consulted. Information went out of date quickly and of course, everyone got the same homework answers.

That led me to consider how much the availability to information and its speed of access has increased. Which is the driving element? In the infancy of the mainstream internet, when dial-up modems were the only means of access, the level of information and the means to search it was vastly less than today. As access methods improved with ISDN, ADSL, and now fiber optic-based delivery, so did the volume and sophistication of the content.

We have also witnessed a revolution in the way that information can be accessed without being tied down to a static desktop PC. Both Wi-Fi and Cellular data technologies, and the devices that use them have rapidly progressed. It would seem ludicrous to a present-day teenager that data speeds of a few tens of kilobits were once a marvel.

Wi-Fi 6 is becoming readily available in the market, offering unprecedented connection speeds coupled with intelligent control of access. Looking at the raw numbers, it may seem incomprehensible that this level of performance can be fully utilized. However, the growth of content, applications, devices and the sheer density of users will no doubt expand to fill the available …

How to Create an Optimal Data Storage Infrastructure

Technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), mobile technology, data analytics, and others are creating a radical increase in business data volumes. Some studies, like this one from IDG, show the volume of recorded data increasing as much as 30% to 40% per year.

Most businesses inevitably face the question — where and how is the best way to store all this data? First, you should get a handle on your business needs. How does your business currently use its data? Are there ways that you feel it could extract greater value from its data in the future?

data storage blog post july 2019 image 1

The truth is that there’s no “one-size-fits-all” approach to storing data, and as such, the experts at Manhattan Tech Support take a vendor-agnostic approach to the specific needs of each individual client. We start with a thorough analysis of your company data, files, and applications, then develop a solution for your business that’s specifically tailored to its needs.

To provide some clarity on our process, let’s first look at the most popular data storage technologies, and how they contribute to a successful overall storage strategy.

Traditional On-Premise Data Storage

Buying storage appliances, installing them in your server room, and then having your IT staff maintain them has been the standard way to store company data for decades. Despite the increased focus on the cloud as the preferred storage platform for business, there are many scenarios where on-premise storage is still the smartest solution.

The advantages of on-site data storage

  • Providing Maximum Security
    On-premise storage excels in applications that demand maximum data security and assurance. By minimizing 3rd party access to sensitive customer information, financial data, intellectual property, and more, on-premise storage provides a level of physical security and control that cloud computing cannot.
  • Better Handling of Large Files and Data
    Industries such as media, entertainment, and scientific research can produce files that are gigabytes – or even terabytes – in size. Transferring these files to the cloud wastes valuable time — oftentimes hours for a single file — meaning they’re
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Have You Heard Of Clonezilla?

It’s a cute name. However, Clonezilla is more than just a cute name. If you haven’t heard of it, here’s what Clonezilla is all about.

Clonezilla is a free and open source disk partition and image cloning program. You can use Clonezilla for system backups, full drive clones, system deployments, and more. Furthermore, it supports an enormous range of file systems, as well as multiple boot loaders, encryption, and more.

(Via: https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-use-clonezilla/)

So, if you’ve just bought a new computer and you’re thinking of moving your old files to it, Clonezilla is a good option.

When you buy a new computer, you have to move your old files to your new system. Copying folder after folder, file after file is tedious. Thankfully, you can use Clonezilla to clone your entire drive to a new drive. Drive cloning with Clonezilla is fast, simple, and best of all, completely free.

(Via: https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-use-clonezilla/)

Now, before you start cloning your Windows 10 drive, you have to check the capacity of your second drive.

Please note that to clone your Windows 10 drive, your second drive must have an equal or larger capacity to your current storage. For instance, if you want to clone a drive that is using 60 GB storage, the recipient drive must also have at least 60 GB available for a complete clone.

(Via: https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-use-clonezilla/)

The first thing you need to do is to download Clonezilla. Here’s how you can do it.

You will need a USB flash drive to download Clonezilla. You can make the download quicker with a USB 3 16 gigabyte but you really use any USB for it. Now, go to Tuxboot.org. Then click on the download link on the side.

Once that’s done, go to your download folder to run the executable file. Click on the default option, which is the Clonezilla live version. To avoid overwriting an SD or another thumb drive, make sure to select the USB drive that you’ve inserted. Click “Okay” to download Clonezilla.

You can also create a …

Securing Schools, Hotels, and MDUs with IoT Smart Locks

Increasingly, it is becoming challenging for schools, hotels, and multi-dwelling units (MDUs) to secure buildings and campuses. To ensure a secure workplace for staff – as well as protect students, residents, and visitors – schools, hotels, and MDUs are all steadily replacing standard door locks with IoT smart lock solutions. Let’s explore this critical trend in more detail below.

IoT Smart Locks

Schools/Universities

From 2013 to 2018, Everytown Research identified 405 incidents of gunfire on school grounds in the United States. In response to concerns of school violence, schools are testing smart locks to implement school-wide lockdowns during an active shooter drill. Additionally, smart locks are enabling schools and universities to make efficient use of limited staff and resources by automatically unlocking and locking doors before, during, and after events.

Hospitality

Smart locks help protect guests and their valuables when key
cards are lost or stolen. Smart locks can also be configured to alert staff and
security personnel when a door is accidentally left open. Perhaps most
importantly, smart locks alert staff and security personnel when single or
repeated unauthorized entry attempts are detected. Smart locks are also
deployed in hotels to automatically lock and unlock swimming pools, exercise
rooms, conference rooms, ballrooms, and maintenance closets.   

MDUs

Owner and operators of multi-dwelling units and apartment complexes are deploying smart locks to ensure smoother building automation, enhance tenant safety and lower insurance costs. This is achieved by monitoring open doors and tracking unauthorized entry attempts. Smart locks also allow staff to efficiently “rekey” units, floors, and even entire buildings.  

Smart Lock Solutions: Deployment Challenges Many organizations quickly find themselves bogged down in IoT complexity when deploying smart door locks. This is because IoT applications are still highly fragmented, as they rely on multiple wireless connectivity protocols. Wireless door locks, for example, might use Zigbee, while online thermostats run over standard Wi-Fi and panic buttons may use yet another IoT protocol such as Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). Even if organizations recognize the true value of each IoT solution, they are often reluctant to deploy, …

Data Loss Is Not A Hopeless Situation

Anything can happen to your data. You can lose it in the blink of an eye. It can happen so fast that before you can think of doing anything, your files are gone. They’re not in their folders and they’re not in the Recycle Bin. They’re gone.

Sure, you could always recreate your files but that’s going to take a lot of time and effort. If you’ve backed up your files to an external hard drive, then there’s hope for you. You could always go through your backups in the external drive but if they’re not updated, they’re useless.

You would still have to spend some time recreating your files again. That is, if the external hard drive is still functioning pretty well. If luck isn’t on your side and the external hard drive isn’t functioning well, then you’re really going to end up wondering if you’re ever going to get back your files. Some hard drives fail you at a time when you need them most.

Don’t despair. Data loss is not a hopeless situation. According to the experts at the California-based Hard Drive Recovery Associates, you can still recover and undelete files in Windows. Even if they seem like they’re gone forever, you can still get them back.

The experts from the Hard Drive Recovery Associates bring hope for what seems like a hopeless situation. That’s pretty much the reason why they are getting valuable support from the community.

Irvine, California-based Hard Drive Recovery Associates (HDRA) is pleased to acknowledge a recent increase in the amount of support and positive feedback shown by their community.

The Irvine company is well known within the community, and this recognition increases with each day as more customers share their experiences with each other regarding Hard Drive Recovery Associates’ services. Residents continue to make appointments to contract the company’s services—and HDRA affirms that they are the best chance clients have of recovering any important information from their Hard Disk Drives (HDD) and Solid State Drives (SSD).

(Via: https://harddrivefailurerecoveryblog.wordpress.com/)

Here’s what Troy …

Allbridge manages TraknProtect ESDs with Ruckus’ IoT Suite

Earlier this month, Allbridge added TraknProtect employee safety devices (ESDs) to its portfolio. As HotelManagement’s Esther Hertzfeld reports, Allbridge manages the new ESDs using the Ruckus Networks (now part of CommScope via acquisition) Internet of Things (IoT) Suite.

Ruckus IoT Suite

“For hotel properties that make use of Ruckus access network infrastructure, the Ruckus IoT Suite simplifies, secures and reduces costs for staff safety and other IoT solution implementations,” Mark Grodzinsky, GM of IoT for Ruckus Networks, told the publication. “By consolidating multiple physical-layer IoT networks into a single network, Ruckus eliminates network overlays. By rigorously integrating IoT solutions such as TraknProtect into the Ruckus IoT Suite, we enable Allbridge to deliver a fully integrated, proven staff safety solution.”

According to Grodzinsky, the TraknProtect solution includes a portable safety button that provides real-time alerts via SMS, push notifications, desktop alerts or email for housekeepers, maintenance personnel and room attendants. In addition, a cloud-based application tracks false alarms and on-property safety calls, while providing hotel management with tools to further enhance security.

“The staff alert devices communicate [with] the associated cloud service via [the] IoT-enabled Ruckus H510 access points (APs) deployed throughout a property,” Grodzinsky explained. “The Ruckus IoT suite manages TraknProtect device onboarding, security, and protocol translation while acting as a gateway to the TraknProtect cloud application and dashboard.”

The Ruckus H510 AP

As we’ve previously discussed on The Ruckus Room, the Ruckus H510 is a wall-mounted Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac Wave 2) indoor access point and switch for dense client deployments such as hotels, apartment buildings, and other multi-dwelling structures. The Ruckus H510 makes it easy to meet the most demanding in-room connectivity requirements without breaking the bank.

The H510 access point features patented Ruckus technologies to deliver the industry’s highest-performing Wi-Fi, combined with four-ports of Gigabit Ethernet—all in a sleek, low-profile design that can be discretely installed over standard electrical outlets. Put simply, the Ruckus H510 helps hotels deliver the full range of in-room services while dramatically reducing cabling, installation time and construction costs.

ESDs and the Hospitality

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