Will Eckrich

Quick Notes for Latest Windows 10 Update

Microsoft has updated Windows 10. While that in and of itself is not news, there are a few good points about this latest update that are good to know.

For families and businesses that care about security (as in all of us), this update continues the trend of improving computer security. The specifics are boring to those outside of cybersecurity administration with a specialization in the Windows Operating System but the overall improvement in security is a good thing.

Virtual Reality (referred to as VR) has been added. In addition to working with compatible headsets, you can add objects from Paint 3D into your pictures.

Finally, to improve your productivity a little bit, you can now pin individual contacts to your taskbar. This will allow you to drag objects (Word documents, photos, etc.) and drop them on the contact which will immediately share those items with the contact. Also, right-clicking on the contact will bring up options like e-mail, Skype, call, etc.

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Artificial Intelligence & Network Security

As robots replace humans in manual labor roles, computer scientists are predicting that machine learning will enable computer software to replace most humans involved in network security.

Until this happens, Eckrich Enterprises can evaluate your network security and offer improvements, if needed.

https://www.cnet.com/news/cyberattacks-artificial-intelligence-ai-hackers-defcon-black-hat/

Seagate’s new 12 Tb Hard-drive

Seagate, a long-time manufacturer of computer hard-drives, has released a new size: 12 Terabytes. For ~$530, Seagate is providing you the storage space on one hard-drive to store 4k video, augmented reality data files, or anything else you, your business, and/or your family wants to store on one drive.

Please remember, every hard-drive ever made WILL fail – it’s not a question of if but a question of when. Backup your data on multiple drives (cloud storage is one option).

If you have any questions about storage devices and ensuring your data and files are backed up, please don’t hesitate to ask us to evaluate your solution for effective risk management.

Seagate’s announcement

Scanner broke? No worries if you have an Apple iPhone/iPad w/ iOS11

If you’re away from your scanner or if it even just died on you, have no fear as Apple’s new iOS 11 (for iPhones & iPads) can scan a document easily and professionally.

Businesses and individuals on-the-go should definitely use this as the possibility of losing a document, receipt, or business card is highest when you’re out of the office.

As always, if you need help organizing or updating your document processing, Eckrich Enterprises is more than happy to help!

Click here on the link below for more information.

Office 2019 Coming…

Microsoft (MSFT) announced today that the new version of Office, to be called Office 2019, will be released in the last half of 2018.

For users of Office 365, this doesn’t affect you.

For business users of Office 2016 or other versions, switching to the new version of Office will provide cloud-based capabilities that you currently are not utilizing natively.

As with all things IT-related, please don’t hesitate to ask us for assistance.

Microsoft Press Release

Goodbye, Google Drive (desktop app)

Google has announced they are going to do away with the Google Drive Desktop App. As of March of next year, you will need to use Google’s Backup and Sync Desktop App.

The Backup and Sync Desktop App is not as intuitive nor cleanly designed as Google Drive Desktop App but it gets the job done.

For personal and business users, this change isn’t bad – it’s just different.

Kaspersky & You

If you happened to hear mention of an antivirus software named Kaspersky and the US Federal Government banning it from government computers, it’s because Kaspersky is made in Russia. While the software’s origin doesn’t immediately mean it’s compromised, the US Government feels that the likelihood is too high to take the risk.

What does that mean for your computers? As with any computer, there’s always the >possibility< of your system being compromised. The >probability< is much, much lower however. Having Kaspersky on your system is better than not having any antivirus software. The decision point is whether to have Russian-made software on your computer or software designed somewhere else. Any software has the >possibility< of containing unwanted capabilities. Our job is to reduce the >probability< of compromise.

Eckrich Enterprises stands ready to review your system’s architecture and security. Call us today and let us help you reduce the probability of future problems.

For further information on the Kaspersky issue, please feel free to visit http://money.cnn.com/2017/09/14/technology/kaspersky-software-federal-government-order/index.html .

Happy Labor Day

from our family to yours!

HappyLaborDay

If you work hard, then this day off is for you!

According to a recent New York Post article, statistics “show that Americans work longer hours than the majority of other countries — 137 hours per year more than Japanese, 260 per year more than in the UK.” For those of you wondering how we compare to our French allies, the “American worker records about 500 more working hours per year than his or her French counterpart.”

We hope you have a fun, safe, relaxing Labor Day!

NY Post Article