Together with a new batch of emojis, the latest macOS update comes with security, stability, and reliability improvements. As usual, Apple recommends that Mac users update to macOS 10.13.1 High Sierra, and with good reason: It includes an essential patch to the recently discovered WiFi security vulnerability, KRACK.

Why you should update now

Foremost on Apple’s list of macOS updates is the addition of 70 new emojis. Although this is exciting to some, the most compelling reason to update to the latest OS is the security patch for the KRACK WiFi security flaw.

For those who are unfamiliar, KRACK or “Key Reinstallation AttaCK” was discovered in October by researchers who found a serious vulnerability in almost any device that can connect to WiFi (not just Macs). It compromises WPA2, a standard security protocol that protects most WiFi networks, and intercepts data that passes between a wireless device and the router. This exposes private messages, login credentials, and other sensitive data to attackers.

Aside from compromising your data, a successful KRACK attack could also infect your systems with ransomware and other malware. Updating to the latest OS ensures your device gets the latest security patch needed to shield it from KRACK.

Other relevant macOS updates

Aside from important security updates, the new macOS also fixes a bug that makes Bluetooth unavailable when performing Apple Pay transactions, improves the syncing of Microsoft Exchange messages in the Mail app, solves a keyboard bug with the search feature Spotlight, and improves Touch ID accessibility settings.

The macOS 10.13.1 High Sierra update coincides with updates for Apple’s other line of products, including iPhones (iOS 11.1), Apple watch (watchOS 4.1), and Apple TV (tvOS 11.1), all of which get security and performance improvements in their latest operating systems.

To install the update, launch the App Store, then click the Updates tab. Available updates will appear in the topmost section of the app.

Updating to the latest operating system as soon as it becomes available lets you enjoy a better-performing system and stay safe from the exploits of emerging vulnerabilities like KRACK.

Whether you need assistance with automating your devices’ updates or improving your systems’ overall security, our technicians can provide professional advice. Get in touch with us.

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Over the past year, Google has been giving business owners more control over what information is displayed in the search results. At first, the options were limited, but now Google is opening up opportunities for advanced features that greatly improve customer service.

How to edit your business’s Google listing

When someone types your business’s name and location into Google.com, a “Knowledge Panel” is displayed on the righthand side of the search results with information about your office. If your business doesn’t have a Knowledge Panel, you can change that by opening a free Google My Business (GMB) account.

The GMB platform lets you link to your website, update office information (address, hours, phone number, etc.) and choose which photos Google associates with your company. GMB also gives you data about how many people:

• Saw your business’s Knowledge Panel in search results
• Visited your website by clicking somewhere in the Knowledge Panel
• Asked for directions via the Knowledge Panel

What’s new with GMB?

In the summer of 2017, Google announced that business owners could customize “Posts” in their Knowledge Panel. Posts are made up of a 100-300 word caption, an image and a call-to-action button, such as Learn More, Sign Up, Buy, etc. Posts automatically expire after seven days, which makes them perfect for sales, events and content marketing.

More recently, Google added another exciting feature: the ability to schedule appointments from inside the Knowledge Panel. If your website uses one of the 22 accepted plugins, you can connect it with GMB to make it easier for searchers to book a reservation at your location. Google is in the process of rolling out this feature to gyms, beauty salons and restaurants, but a wider release is on the way.

How do I enable Bookings?

Adding this feature to your GMB page is an easy four-step process:

1. Log in to Google My Business
2. Click on the Sign Up For Bookings icon below your business’s profile
3. Choose your booking provider from the list of approved vendors and sign up on its site
4. Check back in a few days and start tracking your appointments with GMB!

If your business accepts reservations, this feature will be an indispensable tool for improving your customers’ experiences. For more information on low-cost technology solutions that add value to your business -- give us a call today.

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We truly comprehend the meaning of scarcity when our local disk is running out of space. Trying to sort out which files to keep and which to delete takes time and doesn’t guarantee a desirable outcome. But with OneDrive’s new feature, you can just move them to the cloud and get your storage space back -- in just a few clicks.

Microsoft has launched OneDrive’s new feature called “OneDrive Files On-Demand,” which comes with Windows 10 Fall Creators Update. This new feature allows users to transfer files to Microsoft’s cloud storage, thus saving some space on their local hard drive. What’s great about this feature is that you can open and view the online-only files quickly and conveniently as if you're opening them from your local hard drive.

How to get the new feature

When you upgrade to Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, the OneDrive Files On-Demand feature should be enabled by default. But if it’s not, all you need to do is turn it on by:

• Opening OneDrive
• Clicking the cloud icon on the right side of your taskbar
• Selecting Settings and clicking the Setting tab
• In the Files On-Demand section, make sure the Save space and download files as you use them box is checked

What do these icons mean?

In the OneDrive folder in File Explorer, you’ll see three types of icons (look at the Status column). Here’s what they mean:

• Blue cloud: files that are stored online only
• Green checkmark in white circle: files that are stored locally and will be made online-only when you’re running out of space
• White checkmark in green circle: files that are stored locally even when you’re running out of space

How to download online-only files

You can download files stored online to your local disk by simply opening them, whereupon a green checkmark will appear on the file. You can also make those files always-available offline (white checkmark) by right-clicking the files and selecting Always keep on this device.

How to upload local files to the cloud

Just right click the files -- whether they’re files with green or white check marks -- and select Free up space.

Microsoft’s OneDrive Files On-Demand feature is another proof of how cloud technology can help optimize your IT resources. For more ways to make the most of your technology investment, talk to our cloud experts today.

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“Serverless computing” sounds like a dream come true. It conjures images of a world where business owners don’t need to worry about purchasing expensive hardware or configuring complex software. But serverless computing isn’t just a dream, it’s the next big thing in cloud computing.

What is it?

Outsourcing workloads to the cloud -- like websites and apps -- requires just as much hardware as if the computations were performed in an on-site server. The only difference is the location of the server.

Office 365 or Google Docs are great examples of this model. Thousands of servers are set up to run these apps so there is always enough capacity to handle the millions of people who use these apps at any given moment. Microsoft and Google need to manage and maintain these servers 24/7 to keep up with demand so they’re always on and always ready to handle more workloads, even during off-peak hours.

Serverless computing changes everything by allowing developers to create apps and websites that use cloud resources only when they’re needed. So, if you were to create a web app, you wouldn’t need to pay for a dedicated cloud server. The cloud provider would host your app’s programming code and run it only when a user requested it. The cloud provider would take care of allocating the appropriate resources and charge by the second for what you use.

Who can benefit from it?

Serverless computing is for users who use cloud resources for processing power. If you’re using the cloud only to store files, serverless services aren’t going to help you. However, if you use the cloud to process information and turn it into something more useful, serverless computing will help you immensely.

An everyday example of this is Amazon’s Alexa. Every command the AI assistant responds to is nothing more than an app that sits dormant until a user tells Alexa to run it. Small businesses are creating apps in Amazon’s cloud that can be processed by the voice assistant without the burden of setting up a dedicated server.

Serverless computing isn’t about getting rid of servers; it’s about using their raw computing power without being forced to fine tune them first. It falls under the umbrella of virtualization technology and is another step in the right direction for small businesses working with limited budgets.

For more information about how virtualization can help you lower costs and increase efficiencies, give us a call today.

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