Ribbon changes are coming to Microsoft Office

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Ribbon changes are coming to Microsoft Office

Ribbon changes are coming to Microsoft Office

After twenty years of faithful service the familiar Microsoft Office ribbon, containing your menus and commands, is going to change. As part of the latest round of updates, a new look is being rolled out progressively across the Office programs, beginning with Outlook. But don’t worry, you will have two choices of ribbon – the simplified ribbon or the classic ribbon.

If you have been using Office for a while, you will begin to notice some changes to the look and feel of the various products. Starting with Outlook, Microsoft is revising how the user interface appears. The simplified ribbon aims to help users “focus on their work and collaborate naturally with others”. The simplified ribbon will streamline the existing top section of the screen, reducing the space it takes up on the screen.

Here’s an example of how it looks in Outlook:

Ribbon changes are coming to Microsoft Office - Example of Ribbon changes - Microsoft Outlook
Example of Ribbon changes – Microsoft Outlook

You can switch between the simplified ribbon and the classic ribbon by using the switch icon, which is located near the top right of the window.

These changes will also follow on Word, Excel and PowerPoint. In addition, the ribbon has a new appearance with new colours and icons and has been designed to scale on screens of any size.

For more information on the simplified ribbon, please see the Use the Simplified Ribbon support page (link opens in new window) and reference guide (link opens in new window).

CyberGuru provides consulting, training and support in Office 365, including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint as well as a range of other products. If you would like to know more or want to enhance your knowledge and skills, please contact us.

Stay Smart Online Week 2018

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Stay Smart Online Week 2018

CyberGuru is once again a proud partner of Stay Smart Online Week from 8-14 October 2018. This year’s campaign is Reverse the Threat, which is designed to “mobilise a movement against cybercrime with our partners and the wider community.”

Each year, Stay Smart Online hosts an awareness week to empower people, business and the community to protect themselves when online. Similarly, at CyberGuru, we seek to empower and enable our clients to be more self-sufficient in maintaining their computers as well as helping people be safe online.

According to the 2017 Norton Cyber Security Insights Report Global Results, one in four Australians were hit by cybercrime last year. As part of Stay Smart Online, we seek to bring together the Australian public, business and government to reverse the threat of cybercrime.

Here’s four tips on how to do this:

  1. Carefully check email messages that you receive before clicking or taking action. If you receive an email or text message that you are not expecting, call the company that supposedly sent it (using their official website or phone book, or listed details from a separate document).
  2. Don’t use public wi-fi connections, use a VPN or private network instead. Public wi-fi connections at airport lounges, libraries and coffee shops are not as safe as you may think. Cybercriminals may be able to see the information being sent between your phone and the Wi-Fi hotspot.
  3. Install new updates regularly. Smart phones, computers and apps require updates to add new features, resolve bugs and fix security holes. Install updates as they arrive or set them to automatically update.
  4. Create strong passwords that are different on all of your accounts. You may use a phrase or series of words that are easy to remember but hard to guess. You may use a password manager or implement multi-factor authentication to help protect you further.

For more information about protecting yourself and for more tips and advice, please see the Stay Smart Online website.

We encourage you to sign up to the CyberGuru Newsletter, as well as to sign up for the Alert Service.

Ask CyberGuru: Should my domain name include my business’ service?

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Ask CyberGuru

CyberGuru has recently received some enquiries regarding what domain name a business should use. For example, should a bookkeeping company called Acme use domain name acme.com.au or acmebookkeeping.com.au?

In terms how important the word is (in this case bookkeeping), if your business is predominately a bookkeeping company, then having www.acmebookkeeping.com.au is useful to search engines such as Google as it would likely index you more accurately (through the word “bookkeeping” being added).

However, you may also wish to purchase www.acme.com.au as this is easier to manually type from say a business card or brochure, or your business was to expand from just computers in the future. These domain names could be linked in that if you were to have both, you could redirect one of them to the other.

If you have any questions or to register a domain name, please contact us today.

Microsoft announces price increase for Office software

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Microsoft Office 2016

With Microsoft Office 2019 due for release shortly, Microsoft has advised that their price for the Office software will be increased by approximately 10% on 1 October 2018.

If you are considering upgrading your Office license, we suggest one of the three following options:

  • Buy a perpetual license of Microsoft Office 2016 before 1 October and save 10%.
  • Wait until 1 October and buy a perpetual license of Microsoft Office 2019.
  • Buy a subscription to Office 365 and receive the latest version of Microsoft Office.

There are different editions of Microsoft Office available for each option depending on your needs.

If you would like further information about these options or for assistance in determining which option best suits your needs, please contact us today.

Round 5 of the Small Business Digital Grants is now open!

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Round 5 of the Small Business Digital Grants is now open!

Small Business Digital Grant

Do you need new some ICT equipment, a website upgrades such as for e-commerce or training to make the most out of your current environment or a combination of these? If so, then the Queensland Government’s Small Business Digital Grant Program might be just what you need.

Grants of up to $10,000 (matched by participants) are available to help small businesses access the latest digital technologies to increase their productivity and competitiveness. All small businesses with a Queensland-based headquarters can apply.

To be eligible the business must:

  • have fewer than 20 employees at the time of applying for the grant
  • have an active Australian Business Number (ABN) and be registered for GST
  • have a Queensland headquarters
  • have a turnover of $2 million or less for the last financial year
  • not be insolvent or have owners/directors that are an undischarged bankrupt.

If you are looking to enhance your business’ digital capabilities and you would us like to help you in applying for a grant, then contact us today.

Please note applications close at 5:00pm on 8 October 2018.