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Add-in support for Mac’s Microsoft Office

Support is defined as providing assistance, encouragement, or comfort to help someone achieve a certain goal. For Mac’s version of Microsoft Office, support comes in the form of add-ins that aim to enhance user experience. Although usability testing is currently underway, you can still read about the latest developments here:

Office add-ins are applications running within the suite’s constituent programs that provide features not available by default.

The post Add-in support for Mac’s Microsoft Office appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

Add-in support for Mac’s Microsoft Office

Support is defined as providing assistance, encouragement, or comfort to help someone achieve a certain goal. For Mac’s version of Microsoft Office, support comes in the form of add-ins that aim to enhance user experience. Although usability testing is currently underway, you can still read about the latest developments here:

Office add-ins are applications running within the suite’s constituent programs that provide features not available by default. In terms of usage, they’re similar to browser extensions, but add-ins are tailored to the tasks users carry out in Office programs such as Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook. For example, one popular add-in allows users to look up words and phrases on Wikipedia without leaving Word. Another introduces additional chart types that can be used in Excel.

Add-ins are usually free, but some require either a one-off payment or a monthly subscription. If Microsoft wants its Office Store to flourish, it makes a lot of sense to provide support for add-ins to the Mac version of the Office Suite. According to a report from MS Power User, to access add-ins, Mac users need to be members of the Insider program and opt into its Fast Ring. From there, you should check that the installation of your Office for Mac is build 170124 or later.

You can find the “Add-ins” option from the Insert menu in Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, and then select the store. Once at the storefront, find an add-in you’re looking for and install it. Currently, there’s no word on when add-ins will be available to all Office users on the Mac platform. But if the functionality is ready for public testing, it’s safe to assume the official release is already on its way.

If you have further questions or would like to be notified of the latest advancements, feel free to get in touch with us!

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

The post Add-in support for Mac’s Microsoft Office appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

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Kicking off the three-year countdown to end extended user support, Microsoft is bringing an end to the Windows 7 era -- and for good reason. Because it’s so outdated, security patches are no longer able to keep it safe. Without a solid operating system, not only will users work at sluggish speeds, but they’ll also […]

img-window7-170px-op2Kicking off the three-year countdown to end extended user support, Microsoft is bringing an end to the Windows 7 era -- and for good reason. Because it’s so outdated, security patches are no longer able to keep it safe. Without a solid operating system, not only will users work at sluggish speeds, but they’ll also be susceptible to numerous cyber threats that could ruin their business.

Windows 7 was given extended support in 2015. And with that, Microsoft warned its users that this outdated version would drive up operating costs due to remediating software attacks that Windows 10 systems could otherwise avoid. The three-year countdown toward Windows 7’s twilight officially kicks off with a warning to enterprises that they could face hefty fines for sticking with the platform’s outdated security.

According to Markus Nitschke, head of Windows at Microsoft Germany: Windows 7 does not meet the requirements of modern technology, nor the high security requirements of IT departments. How would this make current Windows 7 users feel? Why are users choosing to remain faithful to the platform’s outdated security? Users can delay upgrades until January 13, 2020, after which extended support for the 2009 OS will end and it will no longer receive patches -- unless the customer is paying for a pricey Microsoft Custom Support Agreement.

Markus also added that “As early as in Windows XP, we saw that companies should take early steps to avoid future risks or costs." The message came as Microsoft published studies that showed Windows 10 Anniversary Update’s built-in security managed to neutralize zero-day exploits, even without patches needed to protect earlier versions of Windows.

Failing to upgrade to Windows 10 means that you and your networks will miss out on noteworthy security features such as the Windows Hello biometric login, the AppContainer sandboxing technology, and Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection, which will gain new features after upcoming Creators Update.

On top of missing out on all the security features that Windows 10 has to offer, enterprise organizations on Windows 7 soon won’t have the additional zero-day protection that EMET, or the Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit, offered since 2009. Last November, EMET’s expiration date was extended from January 2017 to July 31, 2018.

With the help of newer tools, migrating from Windows 7 to Windows 10 is considerably easier when compared with migrations from XP. Microsoft is still urging corporate users to make the shift before Microsoft permanently terminates support for Windows 7, stating that their business could be looking at real trouble if they fail to comply.

Business owners always do their best to ensure the future of their organization. That includes knowing which tech resources to rely on and which ones to avoid. If you still have questions about Windows 7, feel free to give us a call.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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Windows 10 had a rough year. It’s been flooded with numerous complaints from users claiming that they were "tricked" into upgrading Windows 7 and uncontrollable OS updates. The new year is a time for new things, and that’s exactly what Microsoft is planning to do in 2017. It’s been speculated that Microsoft plans on addressing […]

img-windows10-170px-op2 Windows 10 had a rough year. It’s been flooded with numerous complaints from users claiming that they were "tricked" into upgrading Windows 7 and uncontrollable OS updates. The new year is a time for new things, and that’s exactly what Microsoft is planning to do in 2017. It’s been speculated that Microsoft plans on addressing certain issues, but there are still many that are left unattended to.

A patch and a glitch away Users couldn’t escape the glitches in the frequent Windows 10 updates, which caused an array of problems such as frozen systems, broken webcams, and even PCs being unable to secure an Internet connection. In light of the patching dilemma, Microsoft is offering more options to defer updates. In fact, a leaked preview shows a new option to pause updates for up to 35 days via a switch in the Settings menu.

OneDrive placeholders Since the launch of Windows 10, many users have eagerly awaited Microsoft to re-introduce this beloved feature to the operating system’s built-in OneDrive cloud storage service. In Windows 8.1, placeholders (aka Smart files) allowed users to see all their OneDrive files, whether or not they were stored on the device. Making its return in Windows 10 File Explorer when using OneDrive, the feature shows user files stored locally as well as on the cloud.

Owning up to the update fiasco Not only is Microsoft addressing the various complaints it received, but it’s also owning up to some of them. Just before Christmas, Microsoft’s chief marketing officer, Chris Capossela, admitted that the company had gone too far when it tried to get Windows 7 and 8 users to upgrade to Windows 10. This referred to Microsoft’s decision in early 2016 to change the design for the user prompt for its Get Windows 10 app, the software responsible for scheduling upgrades. The user prompt was altered so that clicking X to close the window causes the user to unknowingly agree to a Windows 10 upgrade. This change puts Microsoft in direct violation of its own user experience guidelines for developers on dialog box design.

“Within a couple of hours of that hitting the world, we knew we had gone too far,” recalled Capossela. “Those two weeks were pretty painful and clearly a lowlight for us.” It was then that Microsoft reversed its decision on tweaking the pop-up, so clicking on X would dismiss the upgrade.

It seems that 2017 is the year that Microsoft will start listening more to its users and addressing their complaints. Maybe: Hopefully this renewed strategy will benefit users sooner rather than frustrate them later. Contact us and we’ll keep you up-to-date with the latest Microsoft updates.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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Microsoft Edge has recently been changed and updated. While this is nothing unusual, what is unusual is the sudden choice to no longer be as Adobe Flash-friendly as it once was. The blocking of Adobe Flash by Microsoft's primary web browser can have significant repercussions for businesses and web users alike. As a business owner, […]

2016december29_windows_bMicrosoft Edge has recently been changed and updated. While this is nothing unusual, what is unusual is the sudden choice to no longer be as Adobe Flash-friendly as it once was. The blocking of Adobe Flash by Microsoft's primary web browser can have significant repercussions for businesses and web users alike. As a business owner, you may wonder whether your website and your various bells and whistles will be affected by these changes. In order to understand what is going on with Microsoft Edge and its relationship with Adobe Flash, get to know more about the rationale behind the decision as well as how your business may be adversely impacted.

The primary purpose behind the recent changes made to Microsoft Edge is to make it more competitive with the popular Google Chrome web browser. Among efforts to do just that is the change to how Adobe Flash works on the Edge browser. Now, instead of Adobe Flash plugins playing and loading immediately when a person navigates a website, the application will be blocked.

An alert will come up near the address bar, letting users know that Adobe Flash has been blocked and will give the option to run the add-on or continue blocking it. For businesses that use Adobe Flash throughout their websites, this can be a frustrating change as visitors will need to take an extra step to access the full website.

However, there are numerous legitimate reasons for these changes to the Microsoft Edge browser. The most important of these issues is the fact that Adobe Flash is a security risk and is easily hackable, making it more likely for information and control to be lost to web users. Another issue is the fact that Adobe Flash is a big drain on battery life for computers and other devices.

The theory is that Adobe Flash is on its way out, and that newer, better systems are on their way in. As of now, Windows Insider users are the only ones with access to these updates, but soon the updates will go global and be made available to all users. In fact, Microsoft plans to eventually automatically load HTML5 web information first without loading Adobe Flash content at all.

Because so many sites use Adobe Flash, this can mean major renovations to existing web content. If you worry about the impact this will have on your business, contact us for immediate help and assistance in maximizing your website usability before these changes go live for all Microsoft Edge users.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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