Unplugging What’s Next for Teams 2.0

Here's the full interview:

Microsoft Teams 2.0 now in Public Preview

Microsoft has released access to the Public Preview Program on March 27^th, 2023. This feature has to be enabled in your O365 portal to become available. There are currently some things missing from the new version but later this year Microsoft will be turning this on as the default version. In listening to Microsoft’s Anupam Pattnaik, Product Lead for Teams he provided information on when it will be released and what to expect from the new Teams Platform.

Teams 2.0 is a ground up rebuild of the application. The goal was a 2x increase in speed while using less than half of the resources. Is there any functionality that we are going to lose with the new Teams? Expect some changes on how to access some third-party storage spaces. One benefit is the ability to be active in multiple Teams tenants at the same time. The plan is to have feature parity before the end of this year.

Why should you turn it on today? It’s faster and takes up fewer system resources. But I’m not sure without feature parity you may be disappointed with doing this too soon.

Here are some of the things to expect from Teams 2.0:

• Launch app up to 2X faster
• Join meetings up to 2X faster
• Switch chats/channels up to 1.7X faster
• Consume up to 50% less memory
• Consume up to 70% less disk space
• Streamlined Actions: Less clutter simplifies notifications, search, messages, and channel
• Personalized experiences: Threaded conversations, customizable group chats, and interactive emojis give users more expressive collaboration
• Simplified meetings: Updates to the pre-join experience, gallery view, and screen sharing remove barriers to effective meetings

Check out What’s New in Microsoft Teams at Enterprise Connect 2023

Microsoft Teams Premium

Microsoft Teams Premium is a Teams license that allows organizations with Microsoft 365 subscriptions to enhance their Teams experience with benefits such as more personalized and intelligent meetings and webinars, enhanced protection for meetings, advanced management and reporting capabilities for IT, and advanced Virtual Appointments.

Whether you’re meeting one-on-one, for a webinar, or for a virtual appointment, help make every meeting a perfect fit for your audience. Easily create meetings that meet your specific needs. Use the power of AI to focus on what matters in every meeting. Help keep confidential meetings more protected.

Create personalized meetings in a snap that embody your company brand. Infuse your brand into virtual meetings with custom backgrounds and other options that embody your company brand. Stay focused on the meeting information that matters most with intelligent recap. Apply advanced meeting protection to deter data leaks, enhance encryption, and automate meeting safety options. Turn on advanced features that track business performance, manage queues, and help reduce no-shows. Engage any audience using advanced webinar functionality that automates communications and customizes presenter and attendee experiences.

How NASA Plans to Melt the Moon—and Build on Mars

Tell me how this article is titled doesn't just jump out at you, make you want to read it. It certainly did for me.

They are using lasers and microwaves in a vacuum to simulate the environment on the moon. If I have peaked your interest just take a minute to read this article.

 How NASA Plans to Melt the Moon—and Build on Mars

Microsoft will force all Windows 10 users to upgrade to 'version 22H2' next month

Windows 10 version 22H2 is the last version of Windows 10, and will be supported by Microsoft until October 2025.

Reminder: End of servicing for Windows 10, version 21H2 Home, Pro, Pro Education, and Pro for Workstations

On June 13, 2023, Home, Pro, Pro Education, and Pro for Workstations editions of Windows 10, version 21H2 will reach end of servicing. The upcoming June 2023 security update, to be released on June 13, 2023, will be the last update available for these versions. After this date, devices running these version will no longer receive monthly security and preview updates containing protections from the latest security threats.

To help keep you protected and productive, Windows Update will automatically initiate a feature update for Windows 10 consumer devices and non-managed business devices that are at, or within several months of, reaching end of servicing. This keeps your device supported and receiving monthly updates that are critical to security and ecosystem health. For these devices, you will be able to choose a convenient time for your device to restart and complete the update.

As always, we recommend that you update your devices to the latest version of Windows 10, or upgrade eligible devices to Windows 11. For detailed information, see the Windows 10, version 21H2 end of servicing (Home & Pro) lifecycle page. For information about servicing timelines and lifecycle, see Windows 10 release information, Windows 11 release information, Lifecycle FAQ - Windows, and Microsoft Lifecycle Policy search tool.

Work-from-home has its benefits and challenges. Learn more in this whitepaper

The work-from-home model offers tremendous cost savings and flexibility and is of course, kinder on the environment and provides employees with a better work-life balance. But, it also presents serious IT challenges from the security perspective. 

Download our whitepaper, Cybersecurity in a post-pandemic world, to learn more about how you can ensure your business is not a victim of cybercrime even as your employees operate from home.

There are many reasons for installing PAconnect's VOIP phone system for your business.

 Here are some of the main benefits:

• Cost savings: VOIP phone systems use the internet to make and receive calls, which means you can save on your monthly phone bills and avoid long-distance charges.
• Scalability: VOIP phone systems are easy to expand or reduce as your business needs change. You can add or remove extensions, features, and devices without any hassle or extra cost.
• Mobility: VOIP phone systems allow you to access your phone service from anywhere with an internet connection. You can use your smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop as a VOIP device and enjoy the same features and functionality as your office phone.
• Reliability: VOIP phone systems are backed by PAconnect's cloud-based infrastructure, which ensures high-quality voice and data transmission and minimal downtime. 

Be sure to call our design team to schedule a demo or to design the perfect system for you!

Call 1-724-838-7526 or contact: Sales@paconnect.com

Interesting Article about Insured companies being more likely to be ransomware victims

While this headline certainly sounds like you shouldn't be getting the insurance or you will be targeted more it turns out that you really should be getting the insurance and adhering to the the recommendations for increasing your security stance. We like Sophos's MDR Complete product for a more robust product for this purpose for both your workstations and your servers. When you add in some of our other tools that we recommend your protection increases considerably because of the multilevel approach we design.

Training is another key component of protection. Awareness and recognition of potential threats will go a long way to preventing malware issues. There was a time when we were asked why do people create malware but when combined as a ransomeware product the reason is plain and simple, for money! Because of the increase of company's security initiatives, there has been a significant decrease in the payment of ransoms from 85% at the beginning of 2019 to 45% in the first quarter of 2023. Companies are listening and implementing the proper backups and blocks to ransomware that seem to be helping with the need to pay out as often as they did before.

I would suggest taking a look at this article to give you more insight into the protection and insurance levels you should be considering and talk to our security design experts to work with you on developing the proper package for you.

AI Copilot features coming soon to OneNote, Loop, and Whiteboard apps

It is going to be interesting to see how Microsoft's Copilot add in is going to work inside these products. Microsoft has provided a list of Features that we should be looking for. See below:

• Copilot in Whiteboard will make Microsoft Teams meetings and brainstorms more creative and effective. Using natural language, you can ask Copilot to generate ideas, organize ideas into themes, create designs that bring ideas to life and summarize whiteboard content.
• By integrating DALL-E, OpenAI’s image generator, into PowerPoint, users will be able to ask Copilot to create custom images to support their content.
• AI-powered coaching tips and suggestions on clarity, sentiment and tone in Outlook will help users write more effective emails and communicate more confidently.
• Copilot in OneNote will use prompts to draft plans, generate ideas, create lists and organize information to help customers find what they need easily.
• Copilot in Loop helps your team stay in sync by quickly summarizing all the content on your Loop page to keep everyone aligned and able to collaborate effectively.
• Copilot in Viva Learning will use a natural language chat interface to help users create a personalized learning journey including designing upskilling paths, discovering relevant learning resources and scheduling time for assigned trainings.

With Copilot in Microsoft 365, much of that technology is also coming to Office. Unlike Bing AI, however, Copilot for Microsoft 365 is not yet in public preview. Microsoft has been testing it with 20 enterprise customers, and has just announced a paid preview program for 600 enterprise customers to partake in if they wish. There's no word on when Copilot for Microsoft 365 will be available publicly just yet.

OK, Really! Microsoft says people are too tired to work but that AI can help

Microsoft`s Annual Work Trends Index discussed workers feelings about Artificial Intelligence applications, and how they feel about using them in the workplace. What bothered me the most in the initial paragraphs of the article, Was that two out of thre workers stated that they don't have enough time or energy to Complete their jobs. My question is Whether we are asking too much from our Workers, or is it that we have the work ethic of years past? I don't see the innovation of finding new to increase efficiency even with all the tools we are being handed.

I can see the use case for AI being used to gather non-opinionated data to help with research but we need to be really careful about AI generated opinion pieces because someone had to write the code to help to generate the opinion in the first place. This is very worrisome to me. I think we pay way too much attention to others in social media without thinking fr themselves.

Another interesting result of their poll was that 70% of the workers want to utilize AI in their workplace but on the the other hand, almost half of them were worried that AI might cause them to lose their current jobs. I think this is a needless worry since most managers probably see AI as just another tool for you to make your work more effective. It probably is a possibility if you don't make use of this technology that you might have an issue. But that is that is the case underperforming in any job.

I should think that in any case you should always be on the lookout for any tool at your disposal that will enhance your ability to do your job in a more efficiently with better results.

Microsoft-Window 11-Ads

Microsoft is testing the waters to see how far we let them go with advertising their products inside of Windows 11. It began with the Welcome Screen but with the most recent release of their operating system, we are starting to see it appearing elsewhere.

At least it is currently only about their products but how long before they start selling spots to other companies to take advantage of?

I would love to  from you about your thoughts on this subject.

Microsoft-Window 11-Ads Microsoft is testing the waters to see how far we let them go with advertising their products inside of Windows 11. It began with the Welcome Screen but with the most recent release of their operating system, we are starting to see it appearing elsewhere.At least it is currently only about their products but how long before they start selling spots to other companies to take advantage of?I would love to  from you about your thoughts on this subject.

Quick Intro to Microsoft Designer

Microsoft Designer using AI for design help

Microsoft Designer is a new AI-powered design app that helps you create professional-quality designs in less time. With Designer, you can create stunning visuals, social media posts, invitations, and more using cutting-edge generative AI technology.

Here are some of the things you can do with Microsoft Designer:

• Create stunning visuals: Designer has a library of over 1 million high-quality images that you can use to create your designs. You can also use Designer to generate your own images by simply describing what you want.
• Create social media posts: Designer has a variety of templates that you can use to create social media posts. You can also use Designer to create custom designs for your social media channels.
• Create invitations: Designer has a variety of templates that you can use to create invitations. You can also use Designer to create custom designs for your invitations.
• Create more with less: Designer uses AI to help you create designs faster and easier. With Designer, you can focus on your creativity and let the AI take care of the rest.

Microsoft Designer is a powerful tool that can help you create professional-quality designs in less time. If you're looking for a way to improve your design skills, Designer is a great option.

Here are some of the benefits of using Microsoft Designer:

• Create professional-quality designs: Designer uses AI to help you create designs that are both visually appealing and effective.
• Save time: Designer can help you save time by automating many of the tasks involved in design, such as finding images and creating layouts.
• Be more creative: Designer can help you be more creative by giving you access to a wide range of tools and resources.
• Collaborate with others: Designer makes it easy to collaborate with others on design projects. You can share designs with others and get feedback in real time.

If you're looking for a powerful design tool that can help you create professional-quality designs in less time, Microsoft Designer is a great option.

Microsoft is transitioning from the Bookings app to the Virtual Appointments app in Microsoft Teams

Microsoft is transitioning from the Bookings app to the Virtual Appointments app in Microsoft Teams. The Virtual Appointments app is a more powerful and flexible tool that allows businesses to schedule and manage virtual appointments with customers, clients, and employees.

The Virtual Appointments app offers a number of advantages over the Bookings app, including:

• Support for video conferencing: The Virtual Appointments app integrates with Microsoft Teams, which means that businesses can use it to schedule and conduct video conferencing appointments with customers, clients, and employees.
• Support for multiple users: The Virtual Appointments app can be used by multiple users at the same time, which makes it ideal for businesses that have multiple staff members who need to schedule and manage appointments.
• Customization options: The Virtual Appointments app offers a number of customization options, which allows businesses to tailor the app to their specific needs.

Microsoft is encouraging businesses to transition from the Bookings app to the Virtual Appointments app. The Virtual Appointments app is a more powerful and flexible tool that can help businesses improve their customer service and productivity.

Here are some of the benefits of using the Virtual Appointments app:

• Improved customer service: The Virtual Appointments app can help businesses improve their customer service by making it easier for customers to book appointments and get the help they need.
• Increased productivity: The Virtual Appointments app can help businesses increase their productivity by making it easier for staff members to schedule and manage appointments.
• Reduced costs: The Virtual Appointments app can help businesses reduce their costs by eliminating the need for paper-based appointment scheduling systems.

If you are a business that uses the Bookings app, we encourage you to transition to the Virtual Appointments app. The Virtual Appointments app is a more powerful and flexible tool that can help you improve your customer service, productivity, and costs.

Microsoft Teams Wiki is no longer supported!

Microsoft announced in January 2023 that it would be retiring the Teams wiki in February 2023. The decision to retire the Teams wiki was made due to its low usage and the fact that it was not as feature-rich as OneNote. Users who have created wikis in Teams will be able to export their content to OneNote notebooks before the retirement date. After the retirement date, users will no longer be able to create new wikis in Teams, but they will still be able to access and edit existing wikis.

Here are the key dates related to the retirement of the Teams wiki:

• Mid-August 2022: The Teams wiki channel tab will no longer be configured automatically during the creation of new standard channels.
• February 2023: The Teams wiki will be retired.
• January 2024: The Teams wiki will be completely removed from the platform.

If you are using the Teams wiki, we recommend that you export your content to OneNote notebooks before the retirement date. You can do this by following these steps:

1. Open the Teams wiki that you want to export.
2. Click the More button (three dots) in the upper-right corner of the page.
3. Select Export to OneNote.
4. Select the OneNote notebook where you want to export the content.
5. Click Export.

Once you have exported your content to OneNote, you can continue to edit it there. You will also be able to access it from any device that has OneNote installed.

3CX has put a Security Action Plan together to prevent a recurrence of the supply chain attack

They have put together a 7 Step plan to prevent the security issue again. Sound pretty good if they adhere to it. Click here to see their plan.

1.  Hardening Multiple Layers of Network Security
2. Revamping Build Security
3. Ongoing Product Security Review with Mandiant
4. Enhancing Product Security Features
5. Performing Ongoing Penetration Testing
6. Refining our Crisis Management and Alert Handling Plan
7. Establishing a New Department for Network Operations and Security

Camtasia and Snagit - Better Together

TechSmith Camtasia - Why Upgrade?

What's New in Camtasia 2023?

Camtasia 2023 is the perfect combination of power, performance, and ease of use, allowing anyone to create professional-quality video content —even if you’ve never made a video before. 

 More Background Control - Easily remove a background — even complicated or multicolor backgrounds. No green screen required. Plus, we’ve added a whole new library of dynamic motion background to bring more “wow” to your videos! 

• Expanded image and animation controls and options - We’ve made it easier than ever to give your video more creative flare. Add color adjustments to certain kinds of image and animation files or create custom motion paths to make them fly across your screen with ease. 
• Even more cursor options - Add even more personality to your screen recordings with custom cursor options. Choose from ours or upload your own! Plus, Camtasia 2023 comes with neon cursor packs that give your recordings a little retro flair.
•  Better integration with Snagit and Audiate - Launch the Snagit or Audiate recorder directly from Camtasia! Plus, you can now send multiple files to Audiate for an even faster workflow!

Download the TechSmith Camtasia Why Upgrade Brochure

Camtasia 2023 Released Today!

See some of the new neat features in the video below:

Sophos Techvids a great place to learn more about Sophos Products

A great place to visit to view tech tips on using Sophos Protection products. Start here to learn more and view the video below to learn more about this site.