Microsoft Archives - Page 2 of 5

Microsoft Teams released to Office 365 business clients

cyberguru Training March 20, 2017March 26, 2017business, Microsoft, Microsoft Teams, Office 365, subscription, Teams

This week Microsoft announced a new feature for Office 365 business clients called Microsoft Teams. Allowing users to be more self-sufficient, Microsoft Teams makes it easy for businesses to improve collaboration between employees using a chat-based workplace.

In releasing the Teams app, Microsoft has aimed to create digital workspace built on four core promises: chat for today’s teams, a hub for teamwork, customization options and security teams trust.

With Microsoft Teams having been in preview since November, early feedback is positive, particularly the way it integrates with other Office 365 apps. It would appear Slack and HipChat have some serious competition.

Microsoft Teams is included as part of your Microsoft Office 365 subscription and can be found in the app launcher. This is enabled automatically unless your Office 365 administrator has disabled this feature.

If you would like further information or training in Microsoft Teams, please contact us today.

Microsoft announces Windows 10 Creators Update and new Surface devices

cyberguru Consulting November 7, 2016November 7, 2016Creators Update, Microsoft, Windows 10

Hot off the heels of Windows 10 Anniversary Update, Microsoft has announced the next major update to Windows 10 and new Surface devices.

Titled the Creators Update, Microsoft included new features for Windows 10 as well as a range of new and innovative features. Expected in March 2017, this update will bring 3D and mixed reality, improved ways to communicate through a new feature called People Bar, and improvements to the general user interface, personalisation, Microsoft Edge and the Action Centre.

In other news, the Surface Studio, Surface Dial and Surface Book with Performance Base have also been launched, providing a range of new devices to compete against Apple MacBook, Apple iPad and other devices. Whilst it has yet to reach stores, they are available for pre-order through the Microsoft Store.

The following video provides a taste of what is to come in the Windows 10 Creators Update:

It is exciting to see the continued development and progress of Windows 10, and we will continue to keep you posted as further news comes to hand.

If you are looking to get upgrade to Windows 10, or require assistance in learning how to take advantage of its new features, please contact us today to see how we can help you.

Microsoft Office 365 Australian Data Centre region move program – one week to go!

cyberguru Consulting October 24, 2016October 24, 2016Australia, Australian, data centre, data centre move, Microsoft, move, Office 365, region, Singapore

There is limited time remaining to move your Microsoft Office 365 data from Singapore to Australia. The deadline for this is 31 October – seven days away! Please read the following information and decide if this is right for you.

When Office 365 was originally sold in Australia, there were no data centres available to host the data. Although most users were unaffected by this, some have been concerned regarding data sovereignty, in that they wanted their data stored in Australia due to its sensitive nature. Since then, Microsoft has built data centres around the world including Australia, with a view that future customers would have their data hosted locally.

Initially, Microsoft intended to migrate all existing Australian customers to Australian data centres. However, Microsoft has announced this needs to be requested by 31 October or your data will remain hosted in Singapore.

So should you migrate your data? Microsoft recommends that you take no action, unless your organisation needs core customer data to be stored at rest in Australia. By choosing to move your data, you will limit Microsoft’s possibilities to optimize your service and location of core customer data at rest in either your current location or Australia.

For further information, please review the TechNet move site and Data residency option sheet. Due to the short turnaround time of this offer, if you would like to migrate your data across then please contact us by no later than next Friday 28 October 2016. If you do not take any action, your data will remain hosted in Singapore.

Preparing for Windows 10 Anniversary Update

cyberguru Support October 14, 2016October 24, 2016Microsoft, operating systems, updates, upgrades, Windows, Windows 10, Windows 10 Anniversary Update

Over the past few weeks, we have been working with clients to prepare them for the recent release of the Windows 10 Anniversary Update and assisting them when issues arise. This update, which is progressively being delivered will occur automatically on computers over the coming months.

The update, as mentioned in a previous CyberGuru Blog article, provides a range of new features and enhancements, but also brings with it a number of new issues. As a result, some users have experienced issues, including the reset their existing setup (to the point where even their region has reverted to the default!) as well as changes to the underlying configuration, causing some devices to be unusable until they are re-setup.

Whilst these issues cannot be prevented in some cases, it underlies the importance of a good ICT maintenance strategy to ensure backups are in place, up-to-date internet security software installed and that your computers are serviced prior to the upgrade. We strongly suggest regular backups that are reviewed and tested, as you never know when they may be needed!

If you are running Windows 10 Home, these updates will likely automatically. However, in Windows 10 Pro there is an option to defer updates. This is an important consideration for businesses who rely on their devices on a daily basis. We often recommend Windows Updates’ default option to download and install updates automatically, however in the case of mission critical computers such as servers, we can enable these updates to be postponed for several months.

It is important to note that the update will take approximately two hours to complete, so we strongly suggest that you set a time to do this. If you wait for it to happen automatically, then you may find one day your computer will upgrade in front of your eyes! Importantly, you only have 10 days to revert should you identify your installation be unsuccessful or present issues, otherwise you may need to restore from that backup.

If we may help in any way in getting you upgraded to Windows 10 Anniversary Update, please contact us. If you have been upgraded, we also would like to hear of any issues you have identified.

Microsoft Azure credits now available to eligible not-for-profit organisation

cyberguru Consulting October 7, 2016October 7, 2016Azure, cloud, credits, discounts, hosting, Microsoft, Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Office 365;, nfp, non-profit, not-for-profit, not-for-profits, Office 365

In the past week, Microsoft have announced that they are providing USD$5,000 in credits per year for Microsoft Azure available to eligible not-for-profit organisations.

According to the Microsoft Azure website (link opens in new window), “Azure offers an integrated suite of cloud services – analytics, computing, web and mobile apps, networking, storage, and more – to empower your nonprofit organization to achieve more – more insight, more efficiency and more impact. Azure delivers deeper insights to enhance decision making, supports a broad selection of operating systems, and provides industry-leading security. It also integrates seamlessly with your existing IT infrastructure and scales as your nonprofit grows – giving you the ability to harness the power of Microsoft’s data centers for a wide range of capabilities and scenarios.”

The credits can be used in any of the portfolio of Azure services including but not limited to the following:

Web and mobile apps
Business apps
Microservice apps
Development and testing
Big data and analytics
Internet of Things
Backup, recovery and archive
High performance computing
Digital media

If you are looking to move some of your business online, then the ability to use this credit to host your website content, test out the Internet of Things or host digital media, then this is a great opportunity.

If you are already a qualified not-for-profit for Office 365, then you are already approved. If you are not, it is a simple process to do so and CyberGuru can assist with this.

CyberGuru is a Microsoft Partner and can help not-for-profit organisations as well as small businesses transition to Azure and Office 365. If you are looking at implement these in your business, CyberGuru can assist you doing so through our consulting, support and training solutions. Contact us today for more information.