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Microsoft has become the leader of productivity over many decades. Can you imagine doing your day to day work without their software?

So it’s no surprise the tech giant recently conducted a major new survey into productivity in the workplace – and some of the results might surprise you.

Researchers surveyed 20,000 people working for businesses in 11 different countries.

They discovered the majority of bosses don’t believe their employees are as productive when working from home.

In fact, four out of five employers said they thought their people got less done when working remotely.

On the other hand, a massive 87% of staff felt they were MORE productive when working from home.

How is there such a big disconnect?

Microsoft boss, Satya Nadella blames what he calls “productivity paranoia”. What that means is a gap between what employers expect from their people, and what employees feel.

Maybe some bosses want to go back to the way we worked before 2020… but their people prefer the flexibility of today’s hybrid working.

There’s a lot to gain from less commuting and a better work/life balance.

We believe bosses need to communicate better with their people. Yes that’s about setting clear expectations and giving feedback if they feel people aren’t performing properly.

But it’s also important to make sure your team have the right tools and technology to allow them to get things done, no matter where they’re working.

Are their devices suitable for the job they’re doing? Do they have the right applications to communicate effectively and collaborate on projects?

Take the time to discuss the tools and technology you’re using with the people who use it every day.

You should also demonstrate how much you trust and value your people. In the long-term you’ll be rewarded with a loyal and productive team.

Need a hand finding the right tools and tech for your specific kind of business? We can help – just get in touch.

We all use our phones for a lot more than sending messages and making the occasional call.

And that means most of your staff are probably using their personal mobile for work now and then. Everyone does it.

The downside of this is it puts your business data at risk. If it can be accessed on a personal mobile and that device gets breached, that’s a risk.

That’s why the upcoming Android 13 is big news for businesses.

Google’s released more information about the new features on its latest operating system for mobile devices.

There are many features aimed at keeping business data safe and secure, while also helping your people maintain a good work/life balance.

We’re already able to create separate work and personal profiles on our Android devices. This new update makes managing these profiles even easier.

For example, your team can choose which profile they open their apps in.

Let’s say they had to watch a training video for work. They can set their phone to open it in the browser rather than the YouTube app, so it doesn’t affect their personal viewing history (and therefore suggested videos).

IT admins will benefit from more control over how business devices are used. They’ll also be able to monitor security logs for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and passwords. And install security patches faster.

But it’s not all about the control that admins have over work-issued devices. Your employees will benefit from having their data encrypted while using their personal profile.

There will also be separate photo galleries for business and personal photos; an improved Lost Mode to lock and locate lost devices; and end-to-end encryption when using the new ChromeOS integration feature.

If you have a Google device you should already have access to Android 13. Other Android devices can expect to receive the update in the coming weeks.

If you want to talk through the best way to manage mobile devices for your business, get in touch.

You could be losing a full-time working week for every member of your team, thanks to the hassle of setting up video calls.

Video conferencing has revolutionised team meetings, and saves a huge amount of travel time. But we’re still not getting the full benefit from the new technology, according to new research.

Employees aged between 18 and 24 take up to 10 minutes to get set up for each remote meeting.

Times that by a typical five meetings a week, and it’s suddenly lost you 40 hours every year. That’s a whole working week of wasted time – a figure that gets even higher when you look at older age brackets.

It isn’t necessarily a result of differing technological know-how. The research shows that employees blame the tech itself for the loss of productivity.

Almost a third of people said they didn’t have the right tools for the job, and 23% even said they felt excluded from remote meetings thanks to inadequate tech.

Employees often feel that the audio-visual (AV) technology they’re provided for remote and hybrid working simply isn’t up to the job. That means poor microphones that don’t play ball, jittery webcams that interfere with communication, or the wrong choice of video calling software. All that makes meetings harder to set up and causes them to take longer than they should.

Despite this, businesses that offer remote and hybrid working are reaping the rewards in many other areas, including staff engagement and performance.

But there is a solution.

Assess your employees’ AV technology to make sure their tools are not slowing them down – new webcams and microphones could be a cheap and simple fix.

It’s also a good idea to ask your employees to find out where they see that problems are occurring. If they are finding your existing system difficult to use, or slow to log in to, you should consider alternative options or better training.

If this is something that’s slowing you down, we can help – just get in touch.

When you think about tools for remote working and chatting online, one of the first names in your mind is Zoom.

But its popularity has opened the door for cyber criminals. They’re using its name to steal sensitive data.

Researchers have discovered at least six convincing-looking download sites. They’re not the real thing. They’re designed to tempt you into downloading FAKE Zoom software, containing ‘info stealers’ and other forms of malware (malicious software).

Accidentally use one of these sites thinking that you’re downloading a Zoom update… and you risk having sensitive data stolen. Possibly your banking info, passwords or browser history.

Some can even steal your multi-factor authentication details. That could give cyber criminals access to your most sensitive data.

The research also found these ‘stealer logs’ for sale on the dark web, where criminals can buy this information and use it to gain access to business networks.

Once a cyber criminal has access to your network, every piece of data you have stored becomes a target. In extreme cases, this can leave you vulnerable to ransomware attacks, or data theft.

While these fake sites can be incredibly convincing, take these simple steps to avoid being fooled.

• Before you download the Zoom application (or any application), double check the address of the website you’re on. Is it what you’re expecting? If you clicked an email to get to that site, are you 100% sure it’s from the real company?
• Study the rest of the web page too, looking for anything that doesn’t ring true, such as spelling mistakes or a clunky layout.
• Make sure your security software is up to date and is actively scanning for malware and suspicious downloads.
• Have a plan to roll out this advice across your business.

If you need any help or advice to keep your business protected from malware and other security threats, get in touch.

A huge number of small and medium-sized businesses would consider using pirated software to try and save money. A new study has revealed a surprising number of businesses willing to break the law to save costs. Our advice? Think twice before you walk the plank.

Right now, the most popular types of pirated software are project management tools, and marketing and sales software. But a huge 56% of business owners said they’d even think about using illegal cyber security software in an effort to cut costs.

Don’t do it.

Not only is pirated software unsupported – so if you have a problem with it (which you probably will) there’s no help available to rectify the issue – but it can open your business up to bigger problems too.

It’s common for cyber criminals to use pirated software to distribute malware. Some of this is designed to evade firewalls, which means once installed, it can spread malicious files beyond your device to your entire network. That can lead to your sensitive data being compromised or stolen.

The cost of putting things right after this kind of cyber attack can end up costing a fortune, and the pirated software can damage your devices by causing them to slow down or overheat.

We advise our clients to always use genuine software from a reputable source. If the cost of the software seems too good to be true… it probably is.

But there’s more you can do. You should prevent unauthorised employees from downloading software that could be harmful by managing admin rights properly. And you should ensure your whole team has regular cyber security awareness training to make everyone aware of the risks to your business data.

If you’d like help finding genuine software for your business, or creating a cyber security plan, just get in touch.

Microsoft Teams has fast become one of THE most useful business tools for the way we work today.

No matter where your people work from, they can communicate and collaborate quickly and reliably.

But this remote way of working can also open the door to some MAJOR security issues.

New research shows that nearly HALF of employees frequently share confidential and sensitive files via Teams.

That can be a big problem if employees are using personal equipment rather than company issued kit… it's simply not as secure as work devices.

More than half of people surveyed say they’ve shared ‘business critical’ information using personal devices. Worse still, 48% admitted they’ve accidentally sent files they shouldn’t have – possibly to the wrong person!

So how can you be sure that your people are using Teams in the safest, most secure way?

The solution lies with regular training and cyber security awareness for employees at all levels of your business – from trainee to CEO.

And you need to make sure you have all the right safeguards in place to protect your sensitive business data. Because if it fell into the wrong hands, the results could be an expensive nightmare, potentially with legal consequences. Just imagine if sensitive employee information got shared outside of the business…

Remember, even a trusted app like Teams is only as safe as the people who use it and the devices it’s installed on.

If you need help with cyber security training, or putting the right protections in place, get in touch!