remote work

What Is App Fatigue And Why Is It A Security Issue?

May 23, 2023

The number of apps and web tools that employees use on a regular basis continues to increase. Most departments have about 40-60 different digital tools that they use. 71% of employees feel they use so many apps that it makes work more complex.

Many of the apps that we use every day have various alerts. We get a “ping” when someone mentions our name on a Teams channel. We get a notification popup that an update is available. We get an alert of errors or security issues.

App fatigue is a very real thing and it’s becoming a cybersecurity problem. The more people get overwhelmed by notifications, the more likely they are to ignore them.
Just think about the various digital alerts that you get.

They come in:

Software apps on your computer
Web-based SaaS tools
Websites where you’ve allowed alerts
Mobile apps and tools
Email banners
Text messages
Team communication tools such as Slack or Teams

Some employees are getting the same notification on two different devices. This just adds to the problem.

This leads to many issues that impact productivity and cybersecurity. Besides alert bombardment, every time the boss introduces a new app, that means a new password.

Estimates are that the average employees is already juggling about 191 passwords. They use at least 154 of them sometime during the month.

How Does App Fatigue Put Companies at Risk?

Employees Begin Ignoring Updates

When digital alerts interrupt your work, you can feel like you’re always behind. This leads to ignoring small tasks seen as not time-sensitive. Tasks like clicking to install an app update.

Employees overwhelmed with too many app alerts tend to ignore them. When updates come up, they may quickly click them away. They feel they can’t spare the time right now and aren’t sure how long it will take.

Ignoring app updates on a device is dangerous. Many of those updates include important security patches for found vulnerabilities.

When they’re not installed, the device and its network are at a higher risk. It becomes easier to suffer a successful cyberattack.

Employees Reuse Passwords (and They’re Often Weak)

Another security casualty of app fatigue is password security.

The more SaaS accounts someone must create, the more likely they are to reuse passwords. It’s estimated that passwords are typically reused 64% of the time.

Credential breach is a key driver of cloud data breaches. Hackers can easily crack weak passwords. The same password used several times leaves many accounts at risk.

Employees May Turn Off Alerts

Some alerts are okay to turn off. For example, do you really need to know every time someone responds to a group thread?

But, turning off important security alerts is not good.

There comes a breaking point when one more push notification can push someone over the edge.

What’s the Answer to App Fatigue?

It’s not realistic to just go backward in time before all these apps were around.

But you can put a strategy in place that puts people in charge of their tech, and not the other way around.

Streamline your business applications
Have your IT team set up notifications
Automate application updates
Open a two-way communication about alerts

Smartphones Are Now The Preferred Device For Mobile Work

April 21, 2023

Smartphones have taken over from laptops as most people’s preferred portable work tool.

They enjoy the flexibility and, perhaps obviously, they’re easier to carry around than a laptop or a tablet.

It means that mobile connectivity and reliable broadband have become two of the largest IT considerations. In turn, that creates a different set of security risks.

If a number of your people need a phone to do their job, here’s a big thought: Would they be better off using a work-issued phone instead?

If an employee has contact with customers, would you want to own their phone number in case they left?

And there are security considerations that might be best handled on company-issued phones. That includes rolling out security updates, managing secure mobile gateways, and administering passwords.

You should make sure data on the device is encrypted, not only to protect data from cyber criminals, but to make sure your information is safe should the phone be lost or stolen. Can the phone be remotely wiped?

The software installed on the phone should be policed too. You may need a policy that limits or blocks the use of third-party software. This can also help establish a boundary between work and personal tasks.

As with most tech, this isn’t a case of set it and forget it. You need to make sure updates are run on time, and remotely audit company-issued devices to ensure they’re secure, protected and don’t contain any malicious applications.

Is this something we can help with? Your technology headaches are exciting for us! Get in touch, we’d be glad to help out.

What To Do If You Lose Your Laptop (Or Other Device)

September 30, 2022

So, you’re in the car on the way home from the coffee shop, basking in the glow of consuming your triple-shot, low-foam, extra-hot pumpkin-spice latte when you suddenly realize your laptop has gone missing.

You drive back like the caffeinated lunatic you are, only to discover no one has turned it in.

What do you do?

That depends on what precautions you have (or haven’t!) taken.

First, if you’ve properly encrypted your data, password-protected the access to your device and shut down and logged off all key applications, you’ve got a bit more time to respond.

But the next thing to do, whether or not you’ve taken those precautionary measures, is to notify your IT support company that you’ve lost your device.

That will allow them to change passwords and lock access to applications and data a thief may gain access to via your unprotected laptop.

They can also remotely wipe your device to make sure no one will be able to gain access to the data stored on your computer. (Which is also why it’s critical to back up your data on a daily basis!)

Next, change all the passwords to every website you log into, starting with any sites that contain financial data (your bank account) or company data.

If your laptop contained medical records, financial information, or other sensitive data (like social security numbers, birthdays, etc.), then you need to contact a qualified attorney to understand what you may be required to do by law to notify individuals who may be affected.

Quite simply, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so make sure you’re engaging with your IT support company to encrypt and back up your data, as well as put remote monitoring software on all mobile devices.

Set a pin-code lock or password requirement to access a device after ten minutes of inactivity and get into the habit of logging out of websites when you’re done using them.

Some other tips to keep your laptop safe:

Use strong passwords, change passwords frequently, and avoid setting up automatic sign-ins. This will make it more difficult for thieves to log on to your computer and access your personal information.

Don’t write down your passwords. If you must write your passwords down, don’t keep the list close to your laptop (for example, on a sticky note kept in your laptop bag).

Never leave your laptop in an unlocked car or conference room.

Never leave your laptop in plain sight in your locked car. Lock it in the trunk and make sure no one sees you put it there.

Carry your laptop in something other than a laptop bag. This may seem unusual, but a laptop bag makes it very obvious to thieves that you are carrying a laptop. Use something more inconspicuous, such as a backpack or messenger bag.

Always keep your laptop in your sight. Don’t leave a meeting or a conference room without your laptop – always bring it with you. You never know who could have access to that room, even if you’re only gone for a few minutes.

Be especially diligent when traveling – airports are a common place for laptop theft. Also be careful in taxis, hotel rooms, restaurants, and coffee shops.

If your laptop is stolen, you’ll want to make sure you have the make, model, and serial number so a complete report can be filed. Keep this information in your desk at work or at home.

Finally, if you store important data on your laptop, make sure it is being backed up! Most workers store their data on a company server, where it is protected and backed up.

If you’re a mobile worker, backups are extra important since you don’t have the security of a server-based backup system.

Your Remote Workers Aren’t Using Computers That Look Like This, Are They?

June 27, 2022

Thomas Fox is president of Tech Experts, southeast Michigan’s leading small business computer support company.

When did you last check everything was OK with the devices your team uses when they work remotely?

That might sound like a strange question. But a recent survey discovered that 67% of remote workers are using faulty devices to work from home. And the reason?

They’ve likely damaged the device themselves and are too scared to tell you!

Laptops, keyboards, and monitors are most likely to be damaged (in that order). And it’s usually because of food or drink spills… though some people blame their partners, children, and even their pets!

We’ve all watched in horror as a cat rubs itself against a full glass of water next to a laptop…

Tech Tip: How’s Your Video Call Etiquette?

March 25, 2022

Two years on, we’re all Video Call Champions now. Bet that’s a skill you never thought you’d master.

It’s so convenient to hop on a video chat with a colleague to discuss a problem or clear up details on a project. You don’t really think twice about it anymore, do you?

There’s always room for improvement. So here are our suggested rules for good video call etiquette:

Create and share a meeting agenda
If you schedule a meeting with several others, let everyone know what the meeting is about and give them chance to prepare. If you use Teams, there’s a text box at the bottom of the New Meeting invitation where you can add in details.

Make sure your background is suitable
Cameras on, everyone. Seeing people is the big benefit of video calls. While people may be intrigued about where you are, blurring your background or working in front of a plain wall will make sure the focus is on you and not your house.

Don’t overshare
Ever been caught out when screen sharing? Maybe you’ve received a notification for a personal message, or even forgotten to close down a website before joining your meeting?

You can share only the application you want to show by clicking ‘Share’ and choosing the thumbnail shown in the ‘Window’ category.

Stand up
Want to keep your video calls focused and productive? Then get everyone to stand up for them. This might seem strange, but guess what? It works really well for in-person meetings you want to keep short and to the point.

Should You Monitor Your Remote Workers?

March 25, 2022

At the end of last year, Microsoft announced it would be adding increased employee surveillance to Microsoft Edge.

The changes mean admins can access compliance monitoring through the browser, such as seeing which files have been printed or copied to USB devices.

Machine learning is being used to increase this visibility of what’s happening to sensitive files. But how will this impact employees? Will they feel that their privacy is being invaded? Will it cause trust issues? And do you think this is an appropriate level of monitoring when people have proved that remote work can be just as productive – if not more – than working from the office?

Our advice would be not to buy into this increased employee surveillance, unless you want to damage the delicate trust you’ve no doubt worked hard to build with your team.

There are other, more open ways to help your people get their work done. For example, there are plenty of tools that help limit distractions like notifications or temporarily block apps and websites to allow better focus. Your employees can choose to activate these to aid their productivity when they need a boost.

You’ll find some within your Microsoft 365 subscription – that means more tools at no extra cost.

If you want some suggestions personalized to your business, give us a call.

Five Things You Should Never Do On A Work Computer

March 25, 2022

Whether you work remotely or in an office, the line between personal and work tasks can become blurred when working on your company computer. If you’re in front of a computer for most of your time during work, then it’s not unusual to get attached to your desktop PC.

Over time, this can lead to doing personal things on a work computer. At first, it might just be checking personal email while on a lunch break. But as the line continues to get crossed, it can end up with someone using their work computer just as much for personal reasons as work tasks.

In a survey of over 900 employees, it was found that only 30% said they never used their work PC for personal activities. The other 70% admitted to using their work computer for various personal reasons.

Some of the non-work-related things that people do on a work computer include:

Reading and sending personal email
Scanning news headlines
Shopping online
Online banking
Checking social media
Streaming music
Streaming videos/movies

It’s a bad idea to mix work and personal, no matter how much more convenient it is to use your work PC for a personal task during the day. You can end up getting reprimanded, causing a data breach at your company, or possibly losing your job. Here are several things you should never do on your work PC.

Save personal passwords in the browser
Many people manage their passwords by allowing their browser to save and then auto-fill them. This can be convenient, but it’s not very secure should you lose access to that PC.

When the computer you use isn’t yours, it can be taken away at any time for a number of reasons, such as an upgrade, repair, or during an unexpected termination.

If someone else accesses that device and you never signed out of the browser, that means they can leverage your passwords to access your cloud accounts.

Store personal data
It’s easy to get in the habit of storing personal data on your work computer, especially if your home PC doesn’t have a lot of storage space. But this is a bad habit and leaves you wide open to a couple of major problems:

Loss of your files: If you lose access to the PC for any reason, your files can be lost forever.

Your personal files being company-accessible: Many companies have backups of employee devices to protect against data loss. So, those beach photos stored on your work PC that you’d rather not have anyone else see could be accessible company-wide because they’re captured in a backup process.

Visit sketchy websites
You should assume that any activity you are doing on a work device is being monitored and is accessible by your boss. Companies often have cybersecurity measures in place like DNS filtering that is designed to protect against phishing websites.

This same type of software can also send an alert should an employee be frequenting a sketchy website deemed dangerous to security (which many sketchy websites are).

You should never visit any website on your work computer that you wouldn’t be comfortable visiting with your boss looking over your shoulder.

Allow friends or family to use it
When you work remotely and your work computer is a permanent fixture in your home, it can be tempting to allow a friend or family member to use it if asked. Often, work PCs are more powerful than a typical home computer and may even have company-supplied software that someone wouldn’t purchase on their own.

But allowing anyone else to use your work computer could constitute a compliance breach of data protection regulations that your company needs to adhere to.

Just the fact that the personal data of your customers or other employees could be accessed by someone not authorized to do so can mean a stiff penalty.

Additionally, a child or friend not well-versed in cybersecurity could end up visiting a phishing site and infecting your work device, which in turn infects your company cloud storage, leaving you responsible for a breach.

At least 20% of companies have experienced a data breach during the pandemic due to a remote worker.

Turn off company-installed apps like backups and antivirus
If you’re trying to get work done and a backup kicks in and slows your PC down to a crawl, it can be tempting to turn off the backup process. But this can leave the data on your computer unprotected and unrecoverable in the case of a hard drive crash or ransomware infection.

Company-installed apps are there for a reason and it’s usually for cybersecurity and business continuity. These should not be turned off unless given express permission by your supervisor or company’s IT team.

The Security Problem Of John’s “Other” Laptop

February 23, 2022

Love it or hate it, Working From Home is huge and here to stay.

As a nation, we’ve really embraced the changes forced upon us by the pandemic. Many businesses have become more flexible with a mixture of office-based workers, hybrid workers and fully remote workers.

We had no idea that we could change so much, so quickly, did we? Work just doesn’t look the same as it did in 2019.

And because of that, cyber security in 2022 doesn’t look the same either. When you have people working away from your office, you need to take additional security measures to keep your data safe.

Even before we’d heard the word “Coronavirus,” many of us were working from home now and then. Checking emails on the weekend. Finishing up a project in the evening. Getting a head start on your week.

Now, Working From Home has to be taken more seriously. If any of your staff works anywhere away from the office, there’s a chance they’re taking unnecessary risks with your data. [Read more…] about The Security Problem Of John’s “Other” Laptop

Free VPNs Are Not Your Friend

December 30, 2021

Prior to the pandemic, VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) weren’t in the toolbox of the average office worker. Many of us sat down at our desk and logged into our computer, websites, and programs, then got started on our day.

Whatever we needed was a click away, our access already nestled into a secure network. Work-from-home has changed the game and requires a security boost wherever possible.

VPNs help with that by establishing secure connections, protecting your privacy, and allowing you to access your work network from home or anywhere else.

At a glance, VPNs seem to function similarly to remote desktop connections, which many businesses are more familiar with now, however they have some key differences. A remote desktop connection allows you to control a specific computer via software while a VPN provides encrypted access to a network while away.

If you’re interested in a VPN for business or personal use, it can be tempting to go with a free option – but be careful. Some freeware (software published for free download) can be a great find, but much like work shoes or your mattress, you want to find something that does its job well, even if it costs a little more.

Cheap shoes and mattresses may leave your body sore while a free VPN could be a gigantic security risk to your company or home network.

Like many freeware programs, you can’t always trust a developer. There’s usually a catch, and for VPNs, that comes at the price of security. VPN services aren’t cheap to provide, for one, and the free ones aren’t shared out of charity; they likely have interest in selling your data, bombarding you with ads, infecting you with malware, or stealing your identity.

One of the main motivations for using a VPN in the first place is to create a secure connection. A paid service will provide that – that’s what they’re there for and that subscription is how fund their operations. A free service, however, is unlikely to have the same level of security or the same capability to patch vulnerabilities, even if they have good intentions.

Additionally, you want whatever VPN you use to actually work. Free VPN services can’t support users the same way as a paid service. At best, they can be slow, lagging, or non-functional while their resources are spread thin across their userbase. At worst, you may be roped into some shady cybercriminal practices like botnets.

If you’re a small business looking to set up a VPN, we recommend researching which of the trusted, big-name VPN providers match your needs and budget.

Many come with free trials so you can test them out before you buy. If you have a managed service provider like Tech Experts or an IT department, please reach out to your technology partner and ask about options.

A secure VPN service is worth the cost to protect yourself from cyberattacks, vulnerabilities, and identity theft. Free is nice, but it’s better to take advantage of free things that don’t have the potential to infect and bring down your company’s network. Give us a call at (734) 457-5000 to learn more.

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