November Tech Times Newsletter 2023

TECHNOLOGY TIMES

Insider Tips To Make Your Business Run Faster, Easier And More Profitably

THIS MONTH:

One of the world’s most popular travel seasons is quickly approaching: the winter holidays

Despite the radio hits chiming something about being “the most wonderful time of the year,” expenses, travel and an increase in scams are enough to raise the blood pressure of even the jolliest among us. Don’t rush to the spiked eggnog just yet – we’ve got some tips to make this season as cheery and bright as it should be

OUR MISSION:

“As a business owner, you don’t have time to waste on technical and operational issues That’s where we shine! Call us and put an end to your IT problems finally and forever!”Dewayne Chappell

It’s10pm–doyouknowwhereyour childrenare?Googleprobablydoes. ThankstoGoogleMaps’Timeline feature,thetechcompanyprobably knowswhereyourwholefamilyhas been–downtotheGPScoordinates Thefeaturewasfirstrolledoutin2015 onAndroiddevicesandtwoyearslater onApple,butmanypeoplestilldon’t knowhowmuchinformationtheapp actuallycollects.Beforeyouhittheroad thisholidayseason,takeaminuteto reviewyourprivacysettingstoseeifthe riskisworththebenefits

What Google Maps Timeline Can See

WithGoogleMapsTimeline,youcan gobacktoanydayandseeindetail whereyouwere,whenandforhow long.Forexample,themapwillshow youwhenyouleftwork,gothomeand anypitstopsyoumade.Itcanalsotellif youtraveledbybike,car,trainorbusIf youhaven’tchangedthesettings,this informationmayhavebeenstoredfor YEARS.Thiskindoftrackingishelpful ifyouforgetthenameofalunchplace

youvisitedlastmonthwithanamazing chickenwrap.However,ifyoucare aboutyourprivacyandprefernotto haveyourhomeaddressordailyjogging routineunderGoogle’swatchfuleye, youneedtoturnthisfeatureOFF

Pros And Cons

Undertheguiseofbeingadigital assistant,Googlecollectsthat informationtomakeyourlifeeasierAt thesametime,it’screatingdetailed profilesofallofusInsomeways,this makesourliveseasierInotherways,it invitessevererisks.

Upsides

Findwhat’slost:Hasyourkidever losttheirphoneduringanerrand spreeandisnotsureiftheyleftitin thecartatTargetorthebathroomat TheCheesecakeFactory?Yeah,it’s notagoodfeeling.Ifyourphoneis connectedtotheInternet,Google MapsTimelinecanretraceyour steps

This monthly publication is provided courtesy of Dewayne Chappell, President of Divergys.

HERE’S WHAT GOOGLE MAPS TIMELINE KNOWS ABOUT YOU (AND IT’S MORE THAN YOU THINK)

Peaceofmind:Manyparentsgainpeace ofmindabouttheirchildren’ssafetyby knowingwheretheyareandwhere they’vebeen

Inbusiness:Employerscanalsousethe featuretoensureemployeesworking remotelyarewheretheyaresupposedto bewhentheyaresupposedtobethere.

Tailoredads:BecauseGoogleappsspeak toeachother,youradsand recommendationsarecustomizedtoyour lifestyle

Downsides

PeepingToms:Anyonewhogetsholdof youraccountcanbuildaprofileofyou. Theyknowwhereyoulive,workand hangoutThreatactorsweaponize profilesinextortionschemesor impersonatepeopletocommitother heinouscrimes

Not100%accurate:Youmustbe connectedtotheInternetandloggedin toGoogleforthefeaturetowork

Alotlessprivacy:It’screepywhenanapp tracksandstorespersonalinformation!

How To Turn Tracking OFF

Ifyoudon’tfeellikehavingGoogle’seyeson youreverymove,followthesestepsononeof yourdevicestoupdatethesettingsHere’s howtodoitfromyourcomputer:

Change Settings Using Your Computer:

LogintoyourGoogleaccount

Tapyourprofileiconorinitials,andselect “ManageYourGoogleAccount.”

Clickon“Data&Privacy.”

Scrollto“HistorySettings”andselect “LocationHistory”

Pauseyourhistory

BONUSTIP:Deleteyourtimeline historybygoingtoMapsTimeline,

FREE REPORT DOWNLOAD:

If You Are Considering Cloud Computing For Your Company, DON’T, Until You Read This…

IfyouareconsideringcloudcomputingorOffice365tosavemoneyandsimplifyIT,itis extremelyimportantthatyougetandreadthisspecialreport: “5 Critical Facts Every Business Owner Must Know Before Moving Their Network To The Cloud.”

Thisreportdiscussesinsimple,nontechnicaltermstheprosand consofcloudcomputing,datasecurity,howtochooseacloud providerandthreelittle-knownfactsthatmostITconsultantsdon’t knoworwon’ttellyouaboutcloudcomputingthatcouldendup causingyouMOREproblemsandcostingyoumoremoneythan youanticipated Even if you aren’t ready to move to the cloud yet,thisreportwillgiveyoutherightinformationandquestions toaskwhenthetimecomes.

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“ManageLocationHistory,”and selectinganauto-deleteoption.

Tips For Using Google Maps

Timeline

Ifthebenefitsoutweightherisksforyouor yourfamily,dotwothings.First,definea timelinetodeletestoreddata.Youcandelete yourlocationhistoryafter3,18or36 months–orkeepitforever(whichwedon’t recommend)Onceyoupickanoptionto removethedata,Googleislegallyobligated todeleteit.

Second,usemultifactorauthenticationon yourdevicesandaccountssothatevenif someonefindsyourphoneorhacksyour account,theycan’tgetinTakecontrolof yourprivacyandreviewthisburiedfeature inGoogle’sMapsapp!

CARTOON OF THE MONTH

1.

Before you hit the road this holiday season, take a minute to review your privacy settings to see if the risk is worth the benefits.

WFH STRATEGIES THAT ACTUALLY WORK

Weallvalueworkandfamilybalance.But duringtheholidays,thatseesawtendstoteeter moretowardfamily,evenwhenend-of-year deadlineshangoverourheads.Noonewantsto betheofficejerkwhosaysNOtoflexiblework schedules.However,ifyousayyes,youmay openyourbusinessuptoloweredproductivity andincreasedsecurityrisks–unlessyouhave clearWFHstrategies.

ArecentstudybyTenablefoundthat67%of business-impactingcyber-attackstargeted remoteemployees.Workingremotelyislike havingyourcakeandeatingit,too.Still,it’s entirelyappropriatetoaskyouremployees(and yourself)tonoteatthecakeoffthefloororin bed.Whatwemeanisthattosupportyour employees’productivityandcompanysecurity, makesureyou’reimplementingsomeWork FromAnywhere(WFA)bestpractices.Justas theyshouldeattheircakeatthetable,ifyour employeesaregoingtoworkfromhomeor Grandma’sbasement,theyneedtocheckthat theirsetupmeetssimpleexpectations.

WFH/A Best Practices:

Have A Decent Internet Connection. Mostvideocallsrequireatleast5Mbps,but50–100Mbpsensuresmultiplepeoplecanstreamat oncewithoutissues.

Access Shared Company Resources. Makesureemployeeshavetestedtheir connectionoffyourcompany’snetwork BEFOREtheyleave.CantheyaccesstheVPN? Aretheirlogincredentialsstoredsafelyina passwordmanager?

Have A Place To Work.

Preferablyaroomwithadoor(thatcloses…and locks).NobodywantsGrandmacrashinga

Teamsmeeting.Noise-cancelingheadphonesare alsoanexcellentidea.

Agree On Core Working Hours. Ifyouremployeesareworkingremotely(not takingvacation),makesurethey’veagreedtobe availableatcertaintimes,includingteam meetings.Yes,thismeanstheycan’twatchtheir kidsandshouldhavechildcaresetup.

Have A Project. Especiallyforshort-termWFHsituations,having aclearlyoutlineddeliverableisaneasilytracked productivitymetric.Theyeithergotitdoneor theydidn’t.

Have A Cyber Security Policy. AccordingtoTenable’ssurvey,98%ofremote workersuseapersonaldeviceforworkevery singleday.Acybersecuritypolicyincludesall aspectsofyourcompany,notjustremotework. However,remoteworkisunique,andyoumay needtotakeextrastepstoprotectyourbusinessif remoteworkishappeningatyourcompany. Thisincludesinstallingsecuritysoftwareon devicesandenforcingmultifactorauthentication ontheirdevice,onworkapplicationsandwhen accessingthecompany’snetwork.Trainyour teamonat-homesecurity,likehowtospot phishinge-mails,createstrongpasswordsand keepkidsorotherfamilymembersawayfrom workdevices.

Remember …

Nobodywantstogettiedupinasecuritysnafu orloseproductivityoverremotework.Make remoteworkpoliciesacorepillarofyour companysothatwheneveranemployeerequests toworkremotely,youhaveapolicyinplaceto ensuretheycandotheirbestworkanddoit safely!

Christmasgiftsuggestions:

Toyourenemy,forgiveness. Toanopponent,tolerance. Toafriend,yourheart. Toacustomer,service. Toall,charity. Toeverychild,agoodexample. Toyourself,respect –OrenArnold, novelist,journalistandhumorist

BYTE-SIED BRAIN CHALLENGE

What’s the vertical three-dot menu icon called? (Answer at the end of the issue )

A. Kebab

B. Hamburger

C Meatball

CLIENT SPOTLIGHT:

“Divergys has taken a tremendous load off our shoulders, allowing us to focus on what truly matters - selling Their commitment to keeping us updated on systems and equipment has paid off in ways we couldn't have imagined Before partnering with Divergys, we were struggling to manage our IT needs independently, constantly applying Band-Aid solutions Divergys has been an absolute blessing, ensuring our day-to-day operations run smoothly without any hiccups If you're looking to boost efficiency in your business and want the peace of mind that comes with expert IT support, Divergys is undoubtedly the way to go ”

WHAT’S NEW

Happy Thanksgiving! �� In the spirit of this special holiday, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude for our client’s continued support. We're truly thankful for each and every one of you. As a gesture of appreciation, please note that our office will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 23rd, and the following day, Friday, November 24th We hope you enjoy this time with your loved ones, filled with warmth and joy We'll be back to assist you on Monday, November 27th Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

AIRLINE TICKET SCAMS ARE SOARING

Scammerslovetravelseason.Theyknow youreyesarepeeledforacheapticketand havedevisedconvincingwaystogettheir handsonyourmoney.Trickedconsumers havespentmonthsoftheirlivesdealing withtheconsequencesofthesescamsand lostthousandsofdollarsintheprocess Inarecentplagueoftravelscams, criminalsarepretendingtobe“travel agents”sellingplanetickets.Between 2020and2021,digitalfraudintraveland leisureincreased68.4%globally, accordingtoTransUnion’s2022Global DigitalFraudTrendsReport.

How Plane Ticket Scams Work

Travelscammersuseahandfuloftacticsto stealyourinformationTheycreatefake websites,poseastravelagentsandsend you“confirmation”e-mailsthatdon’t includeanairlineticket.Somecallyour phoneto“confirmyourinformation”fora flight,askingforyourcreditcard,bankor personalinformation.Ortheyusesocial mediaadsore-mailsadvertisingfreeor cheapticketsTheseareallmajorredflags towatchoutforBeforeclickingor bookinganything,payattentiontothese traveltipstoavoidgettingscammedout ofthousandsofdollarsofyourhardearnedvacationsavings.

Here’s How To Avoid Travel Scams

1. Always verify that an agent or agency is legit. IntheU.S.andCanada,youcanuse theBetterBusinessBureau(BBB)ortravel associationsliketheInternationalAir TransportAssociationtoverifyagent credentialsReadcustomerreviewsand lookforweirdgrammarerrorsine-mails andonwebsitesHowever,theBBB recommendsbookingdirectlythrough hotelsorairlines

2. Check for a ticket confirmation number. If youdon’tgetaticketnumberwithyour confirmatione-mail,ascammermayhave reservedyouaseatinsteadandstolenyour money.

3. Watch out for online deals Scammersuse fakee-mailsandadstoboastamazing dealsonhotelsorflightsIfyouthinkthey aretoogoodtobetrue,theyare

4. Be skeptical of “confirmation calls.” Ifyou getafollow-upcallfromanagentto verifyyourpersonalinformation,it’s probablyascam.

Stayinformed,payattentionand implementthesepracticaltipsforyour nextadventureSafetravels!

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