Microsoft Office Is Rolling Out A New User Interface

Microsoft is making a few UI changes across its entire product line in anticipation of rolling out Windows 11. Early this year (2021) the company announced that they were updating the UI for Office 365 and Office 2021.

Over the summer, small groups of users participated in open beta and began playing with the updated versions of those app suites.

Now the company is ready for the big reveal and is rolling the new UI out to all Office 365 and Officer 2021 users. The changes don’t add anything in the way of new functionality but offer a different look and feel that brings the ubiquitous office suite into aesthetic alignment with what’s planned for Windows 11.

If you haven’t already started to see the changes, you will soon. Primarily you’ll notice that icons and menu buttons have a softer more rounded appearance in keeping with the company’s slowly evolving aesthetic. Also note that the update will “remember” if you selected the light or dark theme you set inside Windows, and your office suite will match that selection.

Users can toggle the new look on or off via the “megaphone” icon visible in the right-hand corner of Word Excel PowerPoint and OneNote. All Windows 11 users should see it the next time they open any of those apps.

Similar changes are planned for the Web and Mobile versions of the office suite. However, shifting those versions of the suite into alignment with what’s planned for Windows 11 is a significantly larger project that the company says will take at least another year to complete and possibly closer to two.

In the end, though, Windows will offer a single seamless aesthetic across its products which should improve and enhance the overall user experience, and that’s good stuff.

3 Gadgets that Any Technology Lover Would Appreciate

The holidays are some of the best times for technology lovers. Not only do manufacturers deliver the coolest tech for the busiest retail time of the year, there is a good chance that you may be gifted some of it. This week, we thought we would take a look at three popular gadgets that are flying off the shelves this holiday season. 

Wireless Earphones

Headphones have been a popular gift for decades. Today’s technology allows users to get unparalleled sound quality without the messy cords that have been tethering users to devices for years. The wireless headphone market is now split into two main categories: earphones and earbuds.

When looking for the right set of wireless headphones for the person on your shopping list you should consider the following features:

Bluetooth 5.0 compatibility – Newer versions of Bluetooth—which is how the wireless headphones connect to a device—remove the latency found in earlier versions allowing for optimal sound sync with streaming video.

aptX or SBC (or AAC) – When shopping for wireless headphones you need to understand bitrates. SBC (and Apple’s proprietary AAC) typically function at around 192 Kbps which offers significantly worse sound quality than aptX (352 Kbps) or aptX HD (576 Kbps). Higher bitrates tend to sound better to people who are picky about their music.

Noise cancelling –  ANC (active noise cancellation) is exactly what it sounds like, you hear less or none of the noise around you with these devices on.

Battery life – For wireless headphones, battery life and chargeability are major considerations. Over the ear wireless headphones typically need to be plugged into a wall charger for some length of time while most wireless earbuds offer a charging case that makes these devices much more practical. 

Some of the most popular wireless headphones you can find this holiday season include:

Earbuds

• Apple Airpods Pro
• Bose QuietComfort 
• Sony WF-1000XM4
• Jabra Elite 85t

Over the Ear Headphones

• Apple Airpods Max
• Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700
• Sony WH-1000XM4
• Microsoft Surface Headphones 2

Autonomous Vacuum Cleaner

For years, robotic vacuums were a bit too pricey for the average person to give them as a gift, and if you purchase the top tier robot vacuum now you are still looking at over $1,000. However, prices have fallen enough now for it to be a very popular gadget for people to give to one another. 

There are a few things you need to consider before purchasing a robot vacuum. First, you need to ensure that the situation of the floor that is going to be cleaned is right for the vacuum cleaner. How much floor do you have to clean? Are there changes in flooring (hardwood-to-carpet)? If so, how high is the carpet? Are there pets in the house? Answering these simple questions will help you find the right device. 

Here are some of the features today’s robotic vacuum cleaners have:

Charging dock – All robot vacuum cleaners will have some sort of charging dock. Some docks are smaller and therefore easier to conceal.

Mapping technology – More expensive models will use lasers, while cheaper models will routinely bump off things.

Vacuuming prowess – This is a huge consideration as cheaper models will have a tendency to get caught up or need to be dumped very often. Higher-end machines will have an auto-bin feature that will empty itself in the dock before going back out.

Smart or not – Some models offer Wi-Fi connectivity and application support. This allows users a lot of features they won’t find in less-expensive versions of the device.

Some of the most popular autonomous vacuums this year are:

• iRobot Roomba s9+
• Shark IQ Robot Self-Empty XL RV1001AE
• Eufy RoboVac 15c

Video Calling Devices

In what seems to many of us like science fiction, we can all now communicate with video chat on many of our computing devices. As a result, some of the largest tech companies in existence have developed devices used distinctly for this purpose. This is great for the elderly members of your family (or the people who aren’t tech-savvy) that may not have a smartphone or would just like a larger screen to video chat with.

As mentioned earlier, most of the devices that are built for this are made available by the largest and most respected technology companies in the world: Amazon, Google, and Facebook. 

Some features you should consider when shopping for a video chat device include:

Large screen for clarity

Integrated camera and speakers

Smart device control center

The main options available this holiday season are:

• Facebook Portal – The portal devices are gaining ground since they offer Amazon’s Alexa built into the device profile. There are currently two offerings available: the 10” Portal Go and the 14” Portal+. 
• Amazon Echo Show – Obviously, the versions of the Echo Show have Alexa built-in. There are currently three versions of the Echo Show: a five-inch, an eight-inch, and a 10-inch.
• Google Nest Hub Max – Google’s largest version is a 10-inch screen with an integrated camera and speakers. It is fueled by Google Home, Google’s smart hub platform. 

What do you think? Are there any other technologies you think should be on this list? 

Is Remote Work Eroding Your Company Culture?

While many companies have successfully made the transition to remote work during the pandemic, there have been some concerns that this change in operation has a detrimental impact on a company’s culture. So…how can an organization adapt to these changes, and still keep a sense of the company as a cultural entity? 

First things first… what makes it so important to establish a healthy company culture in the first place?

Company Culture is Key to Your Continued Productivity

The whole point behind having a healthy company culture is to help keep your employees engaged with the overall goals that the company has established, as well as to attract additional talent to the business. Interconnectivity is crucial to developing these kinds of relationships, with visibility into the progress made by the entire team.

Naturally, remote work has made this kind of connection a lot more challenging to sustain. In fact, a global survey found that 51 percent of respondents had experienced a loss of connection to their company culture after the COVID-19 pandemic forced them into remote work. Out of the interactions with their coworkers, in-person collaboration, or have a definite line between work and home, these respondents actually indicated that they most miss spending time with their fellow employees.

On top of this, company culture is very high on the average prospect’s list of considerations. Another study found that 57 percent of job seekers consider it just as important as pay, while 75 percent of recruiters rank how well an applicant fits into the culture a company has established more highly than the prospect’s experience.

On top of this, 73 percent of this survey’s respondents closely associated a company’s culture with its reputation as a whole.

One chief people officer in the study credits a company’s culture for spurring on a list of common business priorities. Priorities like:

• Engagement
• Productivity
• Profitability
• Customer Satisfaction
• Customer Retention

Each of these priorities would presumably suffer if the company culture deteriorates as a result of remote work (which is common, as mentioned in the surveys above!) Putting in place some directed activities can help diminish the loss in culture.

Here are a few ideas to consider:

How to Keep a Remote Team Engaged

See to Your Remote Workers’ Needs

This one may be a little boring and predictable, but it is invariably important for any business utilizing a remote workforce to see to. If your team members are able to work from home, you should be doing everything that you can to facilitate their efforts. This may range from providing them with the equipment they’ll need to do so effectively to subsidizing their Internet costs. Tying into this, your workers will also need to know what your expectations of them will be. You’ll need to have policies and expectations developed and dispersed to your team members that cover matters like:

• If remote workers are expected to stick to regular office hours, or if their work schedule can be more flexible.
• Which tools remote team members should use to collaborate with the rest of their team.
• Whether remote employees are able to work remotely while traveling, and how remote time-off requests are to be handled.

Establish Company Culture and Create Reasons to Socialize

It’s a simple equation: the less time your employees spend around one another, the fewer opportunities they’ll have to form the bonds that encourage teamwork and loyalty. For all its benefits, this is one of the biggest drawbacks that remote work brings with it.

Therefore, you need to do what you can to establish a positive company culture and motivate your employees to interact more with one another. Hold events that bring your in-house and remote teams together and allow them to be themselves. This encourages both halves to develop a more cohesive relationship, now that they know each other a little better.

Acknowledge Remote Work from the Beginning

It also helps to include the concept of remote work into your business overall. For instance, by involving it in your onboarding information, you can instill an acceptance of it in your team members from the get-go.

Remote Work Doesn’t Have to Cost You Your Company Culture

With our assistance, remote work becomes a lot easier to manage, allowing you to focus more of your efforts on retaining the culture you’ve developed over the years. To find out more about the services we can provide to help support your business’ technology (both in-house and remote), give Net Activity a call at 216-503-5150.

Don’t Let Hackers Ruin Your Holidays

Online shopping has become more popular than ever before. In 2020, more than 2 billion people bought products or services online. Whether they’re shopping online because it’s more convenient or they’re avoiding going to brick-and-mortar retailers during the ongoing pandemic, more people are turning to online retailers every day.

It’s not just the convenience or health safety that’s drawing people to shop online; shopping this way has become more secure than ever before. That doesn’t mean all retail websites are created equal when it comes to safety and security. Hackers and scammers are still out there trying to get your information, but by taking the proper precautions, you have no reason to worry while shopping digitally.

If you plan on buying online this holiday season, here are five tips to ensure your information stays protected.

Use Well-Known And Secure Sites

When looking to purchase a product or service online, you have thousands of options to choose from. To avoid having your personal information stolen, it’s best to use familiar sites such as Amazon, Walmart or any of the other major retailers. If you search for a product on a search engine, you may be presented with prices that are extremely low. There’s a good chance these are not trustworthy sites. When it comes to online shopping, if it seems too good to be true, something is wrong.

Pay attention to the security of the site where you’re trying to make a purchase. Look for a lock icon in the browser bar. If the website has one, then you should be safe on their site. Another way to tell is by looking at the beginning of the web address. If it begins with “https” instead of “http,” you are in good shape, and you can continue using the site. Secure websites help protect your financial information as well as passwords. Shopping at unsecured sites can put your personal information at risk.

Create Stronger Passwords

A strong password can make all the difference between your information remaining secure and someone stealing it. You need to make your passwords as difficult as possible so that hackers and thieves can’t hack into your accounts. It’s best to use a complex mix of uppercase and lowercase letters while including special characters and numbers. Avoid using common spellings of words and personal information in your passwords because these can be easier to crack.

If you’re worried about not remembering a complex password, use a password manager. This tool will remember the passwords for your accounts while also keeping them protected. Utilizing password managers is the best way to create complex passwords since you won’t have to personally remember them, and they will still be protected.

Keep Track Of Your Statements

You should always be watching your finances, but it becomes even more important when shopping online. It’s a good habit to form and will help you catch overcharges or purchases that you did not make. It’s also a good idea to only shop with a credit card when shopping online. If someone hacks into your account and steals your debit card information, they will have direct access to your money. Most credit cards have protections in place for fraud, so you won’t be at fault for any errant charges on your account.

Protect Your Information

When entering a new website, you should be wary if they ask for any personal information upfront. No online retailer should ever ask for your Social Security number unless you are applying for a credit card on their site. Be cautious if they ask for your birthday as well. Hackers can use this information in conjunction with your credit card number to wreak havoc on your life.

Don’t Shop On Public WiFi

While it might seem like a good way to keep yourself entertained while enjoying a coffee at a local café, shopping on public WiFi can leave you at risk of being hacked. Public WiFi is often not very secure, and entering your personal information while using it can give hackers easy access. It’s much safer to bookmark the item and wait until you’re home or no longer using WiFi to make

the purchase.

Shopping online can be as safe and reliable as shopping in a store – as long as you take the proper precautions. Take some time to ensure that you are following the right security measures before making purchasing or entering any information.