The Covid-19 pandemic has led many people to stay in and work from home. We now have the liberty of choosing between several web and app-based video conferencing platforms to connect with our friends, family, and work colleagues. We all know how confusing it can be when deciding on which specific platform to use to best fit our needs as every platform has its own features and limitations.

If you're looking for a roadmap to a more secure system, we've got you covered. Check out this list to discover 10 actions you can take using the tools provided in Microsoft 365 to better protect your business from cyber-security threats. And don't forget, RCS Professional Services is here to help you every step of the way.

Panic has been mounting throughout the world in response to the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Businesses have been affected a lot, especially small businesses. Many employees are in a state of panic and seeing even small coughs or sick symptoms as emergency warning signs. In an effort to alleviate these fears, companies may opt for a new strategy; one which demonstrates the culture and moral values represented by the organization.

What is the “Right Price” for (Outsourced) IT Support?

Tech can take you in many different directions, but who knew it would give me the opportunity to take a business trip to Belize? I spend my days working at RCS Professional Services, a tech company located in New York City. I love my job for many reasons; among them, I get work with a terrific tight-knit group of co-workers. At RCS, my day-to-day activities consist of pursuing new client acquisitions, as well as performing various HR and business development functions. The staff makeup is all-male with the exception of one female co-worker, who handles purchasing. Thus, I gravitated towards joining a Women In Tech Facebook group for networking with other women. And this led me to Belize. It started when I commented on Kavya Krishna’s (@kavyakrishna) Facebook post asking for volunteers to run a summer coding camp in Belize run by the organization she co-founded: The Society of Woman Coders. The goal of this organization is “to encourage young girls in developing countries to opt for careers in STEM by conducting free coding camps globally.” My comment on Kavya’s post read, “Do you need to know how to code to apply?” to which she responded, “not necessarily. You need basic coding knowledge” followed by, “why don’t you PM me?” Well, one PM and a couple of interviews later, I was officially inducted into The Society of Woman Coders, and prepping for my first trip to the beautiful country of Belize. Together with my co-facilitator; both of us women working in the tech sector, we set out on a mission to offer a one-week free coding camp to high school girls in the city of Belmopan, Belize. The experience was completely new for me and going into it, I really had no idea of what to expect. I was so gratified to see that these girls far exceeded every goal I set for them and proved to be smarter and more dedicated than any high school students I’d ever seen. I quickly realized that though these girls came from an “underdeveloped country,” their commitment and determination --- and perhaps the absence of outside distractions --- enabled them to focus and advance both their skills and abilities. The program culminated in each of the girls developing their own product or service to sell, as well as a website to represent it; both created over the course of just one week. Each of the girls had something amazing to present, and it was evident from the quality of their work that the talent-game was strong in Belize. The girls were tasked with explaining why they picked their project, and the creativity we saw was astonishing. One girl created a website, which was a self-help guide for people afflicted with asthma. She explained that the reason she picked this particular project was because of her own experience. She suffers from asthma and had an attack once where she was challenged by not being able to get to medical help in time. Thus, she had to figure out how to solve the problem on her own. This site would be to help others in the same situation. Another girl created an online store for people to purchase feminine-hygiene products anonymously since she said that many of her friends felt uncomfortable getting what they needed otherwise. The creativity and resourcefulness of each of these young girls blew my mind, but what I loved most, was seeing women getting ahead in tech in a country that’s third world and also being able to interact with so many other smart women in tech. At the awards ceremony on the last day of the camp, a few of the girls shared their experiences from the week. One girl, Sole, told us how before this program, she always thought of IT as a field that was “so, so boring” but her experience “made her change her mind and realize how fascinating IT actually can be.” She expressed that she found herself looking forward to pursuing a career in tech. After Sole spoke, I breathed a sigh of relief knowing that for this one girl ---and hopefully many more --- this had been a successful experience. One parent remarked to us afterward that her daughter said that “this was the best week of her life.” It was empowering to witness young women looking for their own place at the tech table in Belize, and investing time and energy over their summer break to learn how to code. It was gratifying to see the support that the Belizian government lent to this effort, and the energy and passion they invested in the girls. The camp was 100% initiated, funded and run by government officials, and the Belizian Directorate General for Foreign Trade was present for both the opening and closing ceremonies. I watched how he posed for a picture with each girl at the awards ceremony, and the smiles of pride on each of their faces as their names were announced and he presented them with their awards. Even local business owners got involved. I learned that The Inn at Twin Palms where we stayed, offered us lodging there at a very discounted rate, and also, the local news station came down to the school multiple times throughout the week to give media coverage to the program. Now that I am back in New York, the work is far from over. The Society of Woman Coders has been in ongoing contact with the Belizian government to set up follow-up programs for the girls, as well as offer them additional resources, mentors and online support groups. The goal is to continue to foster their newfound knowledge and interest in tech. Word already has caught on, and since hearing about the work we did in Belize, many other developing countries have been reaching out to Kavya to inquire about bringing the program to their girls as well. But, for me, I know that these young girls from Belize will always have a place in my heart and I cannot help but feel grateful to RCS, The Society of Women Coders, and of course, all of Belize, for the opportunity to have been part of it.

Migrating to Windows 10: Should you let go of your hardware While you can purchase and install Windows 10 in your existing PCs–the ones currently on Windows 7 OS–it is not recommended. According to Microsoft, Windows 10 has the following minimum requirements Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster processor or SoC. RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) for 32-bit or 2 GB for 64-bit. Hard disk space: 16 GB for 32-bit OS 20 GB for 64-bit OS. Graphics card: DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver. Display: 800x600 If your existing PCs don’t meet the above requirements, it’s time to move on. The above list are minimums. The market today has PCs with better specs that will help you get the most out of Windows 10 and make the switch to the new OS more productive and efficient. Windows 7 was one of the most loved, user-friendly and efficient versions of Windows. This switch sure won’t be easy. It also entails quite a bit of investment in terms of money, downtime and training. Reaching out to a Microsoft-licensed managed services provider (MSP) can help make this transition faster, more efficient and certainly, smoother.

Windows 7 End of Life: What options do you have As Microsoft stops supporting Windows 7 from January 2020, what choices do you have as a Windows 7 user? While Windows 7 will work after January 2020– it won’t just “shut down”–as a business, you cannot afford to use the older version because it makes you vulnerable to security threats. That leaves you with only 2 options. Option 1: Purchase extended support Microsoft is offering the option to purchase extended support for Windows 7 until 2023. Though the exact price of the extended support option is not known, it is estimated to be around $350 per device for 3 years. But, one thing for you to think about before investing in extended support for your existing Windows 7 devices is that after 3 years you will have to migrate to a newer OS no matter what. In the meantime, your newer software programs or apps may not be compatible with Windows 7. Option 2: Ring out the old and bring in the new--UPGRADE! If you choose not to opt for Windows 7 extended support, you can upgrade to Windows 8.1 or 10. But, 8.1 was probably the worst-received Windows OS–barring Vista, of course–so tech experts suggest opting for Windows 10 instead. But, you need to be prepared for a few things if opting for the newer Windows version. For one, Windows 10 has a very different look and feel compared to 7. It will take some time to get used to this newer version of Windows. Plus, it may not be compatible with all the software programs that you currently run on, using Windows 7. Though most of the applications, personal PC settings and data from Window 7 OS is expected to be supported by Windows 10, there is a chance that some of these may not work as well. Experts estimate antivirus software is most likely one among them. The migration from Windows 7 to 10 is not really rocket science, but for a business, it can be a headache and a major transition. Consider bringing a Microsoft licensed MSP onboard to help you make this switch.