VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) makes business communications simple and inexpensive. However, scammers are still finding ways to exploit VoIP, such as through “vishing scams, a new type of phishing wherein fraudsters make phone calls, pose as a business or financial partner, and request private details.

Google is shaking things up yet again. Reviews from sites like Facebook and Yelp will now be displayed in search results with well-placed keywords and link-worthy content. Here’s how you can efficiently manage your business’s reviews
How Google changed search results
Google now automatically aggregates and includes online reviews to display in the Knowledge Panel found on the right side of the search results.

Clever business owners utilize an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) during disasters like fires, storms, and other emergency situations. A UPS is usually set up for desktop computers to give users enough time to save their work and progress. Another useful power-saving plan for emergency situations would be to use a UPS for networking gear.

Installing antivirus software and setting strong passwords are no longer considered the bare minimum in cybersecurity. With hackers, third parties, and ISPs constantly monitoring networks and your online habits, hopping onto a virtual private network (VPN) is crucial for keeping your surfing habits private.

Microsoft and Google have been competing on almost every front. Both have made huge strides in machine learning, cloud computing, and productivity software. In terms of VoIP solutions, the tech powerhouses are also neck and neck with Microsoft’s Skype for Business and Google’s Hangouts Meet.

For companies using Office 365, managers have a convenient tool available for them to assess their employees’ performance. It’s called Workplace Analytics, and it uses the data culled from Office 365. Microsoft’s previous productivity tool, MyAnalytics, only allowed employees to view their own productivity data.

We all want to become more productive. Business gurus always emphasize the importance of time management and taking breaks to avoid burnout. But aside from motivating yourself to work more efficiently, there are plenty of tools that increase your daily output.

Automating business processes is a necessity for most organizations. While the human element is still important, automation increases time to market and saves money. And because telecom is an essential part of businesses’ operations, AI developers are introducing advances in VoIP telephony that will take automation to a whole new level.

If you’re an Office 365 subscriber, you’re in for some souped-up enhancements. Most involve artificial intelligence (AI) making sense of your data for you, so you spend less time and effort manually processing it. Here are a few of the latest enhancements that’ll give you more time for value-added tasks (and for coffee breaks and power naps, too).
Office
Write and draw with digital ink
Typing is easy on desktops and laptops, but when you’re on touch-enabled devices, keyboards are cumbersome to use, whether they are extra hardware or as space invaders on your screen.

A password policy designed for federal agencies must be secure, right? Surprisingly, that hasn’t been the case, according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The NIST created many of the password best practices you probably loathe — the combination of letters, numbers, and special characters — but it now says those guidelines were misguided and has changed its stance on the matter.