Author Archive

Tasks: Microsoft 365 Tool Tips

Jeff Remote Working February 5, 2021

The importance of organisation within the workplace cannot be understated, as without an adequate standard your business can fail. It can be a difficult goal to achieve without the correct tools that are fit to do the job, and this is true no matter the industry you work in. For example, if you are a plumber with eight boilers to fit, all of which need to be done on different days and times that suit the clients’ needs, are different types of boiler, and all need to be picked up from the plumbing merchants on the day they are being fitted due to lack of storage space, without top levels of organisation completing these tasks to top standards and within your time schedule would be a near impossibility.

 

A particularly good way of ensuring you have some level of organisation to the way you do things is through the use of a to-do list. To-do lists can be a great tool to ensure you keep a level of decorum to your workday, can guarantee you look focused and guarantee you stay reliable as opposed to getting caught up in the carnage and disorganisation that comes with not having order. Microsoft 365 has an application that gives you the platform to do exactly this.

 

Microsoft 365 (formerly Office) has been at the top of its game in providing tools to assist us in our day-to-day lives – both when working and at home – for over 30 years now. To get a fair representation of the success of 365 you need to take a look at Microsoft Teams – released in 2017, it jumped to popularity at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and has since amassed a daily average user count of 115 million; an astonishing figure unobtainable by any other competitor on the market.

 

Microsoft developed an application to organise your workday; it is called ‘Tasks’.

 

Tasks

Yes, you are correct that Microsoft 365 has already released multiple task tracking applications (‘To-do’ and ‘Planner’ to name just a couple). What makes Tasks unique is that it consolidates the two together, allowing you to see both group tasks and individual tasks all in one place.

 

Day-to-day working with Tasks

Using the example used earlier, let’s take a look at how Tasks can help you daily. If used correctly the Plumber can use Tasks to organise his day accordingly to ensure his tasks don’t coincide or have any detrimental impact on one another. This allows him to be more flexible and guarantee customers certain time frames for his services.

 

Microsoft sees its task management applications as living in an ecosystem. They see their task-related apps and services in three different categories: task engines, first-party apps and then task hubs.

 

Let’s break those categories down and see what each one means.

 

Task engines

Task engines are where tasks are stored. These engines are Planner and To-Do. They are the staple of the task management system.

 

First-party apps

These are the ones that allow you to save tasks while you are working. One example is Microsoft Word – you may be working on a document, resulting in a task which you then want to save back to Planner or To-Do.

 

Task hubs

These are apps like ‘Teams’ and ‘Outlook’, where other work takes place, but you want the ability to capture tasks whilst doing it.

 

Your technology partner

At Elixis, we offer a one-of-a-kind service 24 hours a day. Top quality IT support is just a phone call away. We guarantee to keep you up-to-date with the latest advancements in tech, whilst supporting you in implementing new strategies within your team on how to help them use said tech most effectively. Our team of experienced engineers are waiting for your call and are primed and ready to support you now and into the future.

 

For more information, feel free to send us a message.

Power Automate: Microsoft 365 Tool Tips

Jeff Remote Working February 5, 2021

Microsoft 365 is at the top of the pile when it comes to applications of its type. It provides effective office and remote working tools for people all over the globe. For many of us, Microsoft 365 (formerly Office) is a staple of our daily lives and has been since we were children, and its range of features has revolutionised the way we see technology and its capabilities.

 

Cloud services are used internationally for a variety of different purposes. Previously it was impossible to get your Cloud services to work in unison, but there is now a way.

 

Introducing Power Automate.

 

Power Automate

With Power Automate you can create a workflow with a multi-step flow across a variety of applications.

 

Power Automate makes it possible for you to receive a text message saying someone important has emailed you, when previously you would have had to continuously refresh your email folder, for example.

 

We will now take a closer look at this in more detail.

 

For example, when someone tweets about your company it is essential you acknowledge the tweet in a timely manner – this can be very difficult with our busy workdays and, depending on the influx of messages, can be a near impossibility to keep up with. Power Automate makes it possible to set up a flow that follows them, sends a reply and also adds their details to a spreadsheet that gets emailed over to you automatically for your approval. Using this example, Power Automate allows you to minimise response times, in turn, giving you more time to reply in person as necessary or get on with other tasks, all culminating in retaining your good reputation as a company.

 

The Power Automate app for mobile

Power Automate also makes it possible for you to manage approvals on your phone, by email, or on the web, whilst on the go. The approval process works with data in Microsoft 365, SharePoint, Twitter, and many other services.

Power Automate gives you the power to take control of your time management and ensure that your employees are using their limited working hours as effectively as possible. It also ensures that they are not wasting time on monotonous tasks that are beneath their skill set.

 

Power Automate – How does it work?

The concept of business process automation is working from an initial trigger action, be that prescheduled or because of a prior human action. A series of pre-scripted steps will follow. To give you some level of control you have the option to define your own parameters.

 

Automation has the ability to revolutionise your workday – with its ability to ensure effective time management and the reallocation of resources away from the mundane, it should be an integral part of your workplace infrastructure.

 

Want to introduce automation to your business?

 

Is your tech up to standard, both for security and productivity purposes?

 

Your technology partner

At Elixis, we offer a one-of-a-kind service 24 hours a day. If you want to be certain you are getting the most from your IT then look no further! We guarantee to keep you up-to-date with the latest tech, so you don’t have to. Our team of experienced engineers are waiting for your call so contact us and find out how we can help you – both now and into the future.

 

For more information, feel free to send us a message.

Lists: Microsoft 365 Tool Tips

Jeff Remote Working February 5, 2021

As mentioned in the previous blog in the series, Microsoft 365 has revolutionised the way we work, both in office and when working remotely, since its conception as Microsoft Office in 1990. Most of us have been part of its rise to the top by using its range of tools and features every day.

 

A tool that Microsoft have introduced is ‘Lists’.

 

Lists gives you a platform to create lists and organise information from – it allows you to also share lists and work together on said lists – through collaboration with others. It sounds similar to a spreadsheet list, but Lists has many features that make it very unique.

 

Unique features of Lists

Lists has multiple different uses, and can be used as an inventory, issue, or asset tracker.

 

Lists allows you to define parameters of your list and decide which parts are visible to others. It also allows you to view your data in a variety of different ways, including a standard excel format, a card format, and a calendar format. Lists gives you a lot of control over the presentation of your information.

 

You can use Lists to track team and solo tasks, but Microsoft Planner and To-do specialise in this and have views specifically catered for these uses whilst Lists does not. As we previously mentioned Lists’ uses are much broader.

 

Lists within Teams has been described essentially as an evolution of the popular application SharePoint Lists. As part of the evolution, as well as seeing similarities between the two, we will see new features – features that have the ability to change work practices massively.

 

Another feature to this evolution is the introduction of the Microsoft List app that will aggregate all the lists you already have on your computer. This will act as the one and only place you need to access to see existing lists or to create new ones, thereby eradicating the time-consuming task of remembering which SharePoint site has the list you are trying to find, making things much easier for you – the user. You can author, create and edit new lists – all with prebuilt templates that are varied for event/asset management and all within the app whilst on the go.

Lists is even available within Microsoft Teams! Lists allows you to create new lists and edit them all without leaving Teams.

 

Lists also connects to Power Automate (see other blogs in the series). Power Automate adds necessary data to lists and can then post over to Teams to let your colleagues know about the new data – automatically!

 

Your technology partner

At Elixis, we can guarantee that you will get the most from your IT. With our team of professionals, we ensure top quality service with a friendly approach to you and your team. We approach IT proactively, seeking out any issues before they arise and assure measures are put in place so that the problem does not rear its ugly head again. Contact us to find out how we can help you.

 

For more information, feel free to send us a message.

Future of working: The growing need for robust remote working solutions

Jeff Technology, Trends February 1, 2021

What does the future of work really look like? Unlock the full potential of cloud-based solutions.

Where the first initial lockdown, back in March last year had forced most companies into an abrupt digital setting, the two that have since followed only solidified this. This transformation has now manifested itself so that companies have become significantly, if not completely, reliant on remote, digital solutions to remain functional. As a result, the growing need for robust remote working solutions has surged, causing traditional and antiquated workplace solutions to fall by the wayside.

 

Embracing digital transformation and unified workplaces

The evolution of digital transformation has fast-tracked the online revolution, meaning elaborate predictions of future working are now not so distant. The boundaries between working from home and in the office are now completely blurred as we find ourselves marching through 2021. The need for physical office space now seems redundant as we can work just as we did before, if not better, from home and exceed productivity and collaboration standards.

 

A far stronger focus is now on the availability of IT tools as workforces rely on these methods of remote solutions to remain as collaborative with their colleagues as possible. For example, proprietary business communication platforms have completely revolutionised the way we communicate, collaborate and generally work as they dealt with the majority of the population pivoting to remote working. State of the art interactive, virtual meetings via a browser promotes efficient collaboration and strengthens the performance of organizations, while necessary commutes can be reduced or in some cases avoided.

 

What’s more, the capabilities to provide quality engagement between employer and employees is now of utmost priority. As we navigate a more digitized year than ever before, employees should be equipped with most efficient solutions that IT managers can source within minutes, instead of days or even weeks so that effective communication internally can also benefit.

 

This ‘future of working’ model can be achieved through introducing personalized digital workspaces accessed through a browser of any device, anywhere in the world. Perfectly suited to the new home and office split, innovative cloud technology enables organizations and their staff to access any of their applications hosted on-premise or in the cloud, as well as internal and external web applications instantly.

 

Understanding the challenges

The sudden pivot to mass remote working, however, has not been as smooth sailing as initially thought after all. For companies still operating in traditional virtual environments, remote working solutions often lack flexibility to include legacy or GPU intensive applications that are traditionally running on a desktop or on-premise solutions. Though, it is not too late to innovate and take the first step towards cloud-based technologies. It cannot be stressed enough that cloud computing is here to stay and can offer these types of businesses a life line before it’s too late and fall completely behind digital transformations and breakthroughs.

 

Additionally, let us not forget that the internet is no doubt a dangerous place. A world now mostly operating online, puts the traditional-based IT infused companies, even more at risk. In fact, there are several emerging cyber threats with an impact that have never been seen before. Due to existing Enterprise software protection solutions that are decades old and vulnerable, many businesses are left exposed and ‘easy’ to attack. And now, with the entire UK workforce being told to work from home, where possible, investing in secure and reliable solutions has never been so crucial for the online safety of not only a business, but its workforce.

 

Companies can look for intelligent cloud-based solutions that combine the benefits of streaming an online workplace effortlessly with complete trust in the solution to resolve exposure to hackers. For example, when using the cloud, client-to-site VPN connections are no longer required as a result of migrating systems to the cloud, meaning there is no point of attack for trojans. Furthermore, no end device within an organization will be able to access an application server as the direct communication between the user and the target system can be completely ruled out with cloud software.

 

Yet, it is all types and sizes that can be affected. Even multinational companies fall victim to cyber hacks, often involving over 1000 employees due to vulnerabilities in outdated architecture. Investing in state-of-the-art cloud solutions that include cyber insurance will become a new box to add to the IT checklist in 2021 and beyond.

 

What’s more, new cloud technologies have emerged and seen acceleration in adoption, thanks to the influx of home working such as Everything-as-a-Service (XaaS). This type of solution enables all IT services to be offered in the cloud for workforces as they work remotely. XaaS not only provides remote workers with advanced flexibility but ensures enhanced security due to it encompassing the likes of other solutions such as IaaS, PaaS and SaaS.

 

How cloud can help create the ‘anywhere office’ for the millennial workforce

Implementing an efficient cloud adoption strategy

If the multiple lockdowns have taught us one thing, it is that cloud adoption is no doubt proving to be one of the most efficient ways to secure and sustain the demands of a digital workforce. Now in 2021, we hope to reach some kind of normality as the dust will hopefully settle on the Covid-19 pandemic. Remote working is now here to stay and it will be up to business leaders to make sure they have the correct and most efficient cloud adoption strategy in place, for their employees. Armed with the right cloud solutions, businesses have the potential to simplify their IT ecosystems and procure solutions without committing to large upfront investments.

 

We’re Elixis Technology

In the ever-changing, technology-centric world we live in, it’s vital to have an I.T. solution source you can count on. At Elixis Technology, it is our mission to help businesses — big and small — produce the results their customers demand, with technology that actually works.

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News Source: https://www.weforum.org

3 ways to fill worrying cybersecurity gaps

Jeff Technology, Trends February 1, 2021

As businesses of the future evolve to be more digital and more shared, the need to prepare to avert a cyber pandemic – with potential even more than the coronavirus to upend our lives – has never been more urgent.

 

We need to strengthen our strategic response to the risks before we invest in tactics. Our plans must work harder and smarter to address capability gaps.

 

A common agenda will build the confidence and competence to achieve the resilience we need.

 

If humanity ever needed reminding of our interdependence, the pandemic has brought that home. As we scale up our response to the crisis, through largely digital means, our interconnectedness grows exponentially. And with it our vulnerability to the risk exposures of the virtual world. In fact, businesses of the future are evolving to be more digital and more shared. The need to prepare to avert a cyber pandemic – with potential even more than the coronavirus to upend our lives – has never been more urgent.

 

For a moment, let’s think of the unthinkable. A world without phones and internet, with idling trucks, trains and planes because fuel pumps and charging stations are incapacitated; banks shuttered; food supply chains broken; and emergency services made all but unavailable. This bleak vision would be inevitable if electricity supplies are cut off by a cyberattack.

 

In a scenario such as this, we know, that the ensuing swift blackout would be crippling. Unfortunately, we also know that a crisis of this scope, sophistication and impact is not just possible but something we are currently dealing with – albeit in a different context.

 

Global Technology Governance Report 2021

Last month, a group, believed to be Russian, gained access to over 18,000 systems – belonging to government and corporations – through a compromised update to SolarWinds’ Orion software. We were unprepared to prevent the attack because the bad actors slipped through the exact whitelisted software supply chain we trust. Even more regrettably, the software supply chain allowed them to access the network of FireEye – the US-based cybersecurity giant known for investigating and remedying some of the world’s most high-profile breaches.

 

While FireEye’s customers remained largely unimpacted this time, the moral of the story is that no one and nothing is immune. Our sources of cyber-protection – software updates or defending partners – can be the Trojan Horse where everything around us devolves into chaos.

 

Well before we learnt these tough lessons in the final weeks of a rather challenging 2020, the World Economic Forum questioned whether our individual and collective approach to managing cyber risks is sustainable in the face of the major technology trends taking place.

 

Although there’s an array of resources to manage cyberattacks, we still have a long way to go before we can, as a whole, effectively counter these threats. We need to strengthen our strategic response to the risks before we invest in tactics. Our plans must work harder and smarter to address capability gaps in three areas:

 

  1. More coordination

Consider the SolarWinds attack. It did not directly hit its intended targets. Instead, the attackers surreptitiously built a chain of offence, that included non-government agencies, security and technology firms along with educational institutions, to inch unnoticed towards their real targets for espionage.

 

They knew they’d find their mark through our digital interconnectedness. We can turn this same intertwining of infrastructure to our advantage. Research tells us that hackers attack computers with Internet access—every 39 seconds on average. If we all shared threat intelligence, across borders, across the private and public sector, across industries and competitors, the collective intelligence could only move us forward faster.

 

An invaluable first step would be to develop more open systems, while adopting common standards and taxonomy in cybersecurity. This will serve us better to integrate and train our teams to drive holistic security. Global spending on cybersecurity solutions is projected to exceed $1 trillion cumulatively over the five-year period from 2017 to 2021. We must reprioritize these budgets to align with shared goals including collaborating to overpower organized cybercrime and the private-sector technology nexus with nation-state attackers.

 

  1. More sophistication

The Global Risks Report 2020, articulated how the digital nature of the Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies is making our landscapes vulnerable to cyberattacks. For example, it is estimated that there are already over 21 billion IoT devices worldwide, slated to double by 2025. Attacks on IoT devices increased by more than 300% in the first half of 2019 alone.

 

The report, observes how “using ‘security-by-design’ principles to integrate cybersecurity features into new products continues to be secondary to getting products quickly out into the market.” Our current approach of bolt-on security needs to be reimagined to create stronger build-in standards, including SDLC-security quality certification, that makes software partners more accountable for security assurance. Along with this discipline in securing the supply chain as meticulously as we secure our products, we need better design architecture to tackle the challenges at hand.

 

  1. More human capital

At the same pace that AI is growing useful in cyber defence, it is also enabling cybercriminals to use deep learning to breach security systems and harness data sets to improve response to defence.

While we can battle machine with machine, nurturing a strong pipeline cybersecurity talent, will give our defence an edge. We need better problem finders in greater numbers to work with our problem-solving machines. And this time, they need to be embedded in the complete lifecycle of our processes. Every person in the ecosystem must understand his or her role with respect to cybersecurity and be accountable to deliver to metrics and standards for cybersecurity quality. As of 2019, there were an estimated 2.8 million cybersecurity professionals worldwide, against a need for over 4 million.

 

If there is one lesson from dealing with the pandemic, it is the need to take each other along as we move forward into a more secure future. The very nature of a pandemic is such that no one is really safe unless everyone is safe. A cyber pandemic is no different. It is in shared trust and a common agenda that we can build the confidence and competence to achieve the resilience we need.

 

We’re Elixis Technology

In the ever-changing, technology-centric world we live in, it’s vital to have an I.T. solution source you can count on. At Elixis Technology, it is our mission to help businesses — big and small — produce the results their customers demand, with technology that actually works.

.

News Source: https://www.weforum.org

IMSA launches remote cyber security assessments

Jeff Technology, Trends January 25, 2021

Vessels worldwide are now facing compliance with the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) cyber security requirements. In response, the International Maritime Security Associates (IMSA) has developed a suite of cyber security tools and services for the maritime industry.

 

The company has recently launched the capability to conduct basic shipboard network vulnerability assessments without sending personnel on board.

“This capability is necessary in today’s current COVID environment,” comments Corey Ranslem, CEO of IMSA. “We know it isn’t always easy, practical or cost effective to send people on board a vessel to conduct a cyber security assessment, so we’ve developed this amazing remote assessment tool. Through this tool, our cyber specialists can conduct a remote assessment at about half the cost of sending personnel on board. This tool helps our global clients with IMO 2021 cyber security compliance along with protecting passengers and crew.”

This tool is part of a larger suite of cyber security tools IMSA has developed to support vessels and maritime facilities with expanding their cyber security defences.

 

Some of these cyber security tools are part of the ARMS software platform. Through ARMS, IMSA can monitor a vessel’s critical systems and networks remotely in real-time through its SOC (Security Operations Centre). This capability protects vessels from real-time threats to IT, OT, and other critical network systems.

“IMSA is continually enhancing the levels of protection we provide our clients,” adds Ranslem. “Through ARMS and our 24/7 operations centre, we provide a variety of client-focused services to ensure the safety of your voyage and critical systems.”

 

We’re Elixis Technology

In the ever-changing, technology-centric world we live in, it’s vital to have an I.T. solution source you can count on. At Elixis Technology, it is our mission to help businesses — big and small — produce the results their customers demand, with technology that actually works.

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News Source: https://www.superyachtnews.com

Remote working – striking a balance

Jeff Technology, Trends January 24, 2021

Presenteeism has long been associated with working life in the city, viewed by many employers and employees as essential for getting known and getting ahead.

However, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, businesses have had to cope with an abrupt move to mass remote working, in a way many never would have imagined feasible only a year ago. In many industries it has proved to be manageable. And, even before the pandemic, it was recognized that endorsing agile working was becoming a significant factor in driving forward a successful, modern business, capable of attracting and retaining top talent.

So will it endure?

Perhaps one of the biggest barriers to remote working has been trust; employers simply did not trust that people working from home were actually working, that service standards could be maintained, that confidential information would remain secure. Many of these issues have been dealt with by enforcing best practices around regular communication and updating and enforcing detailed home working policies.

And so, as and when we are allowed to return to work in the city, employers can no doubt expect many more employees to exercise their statutory right to request flexible working. Refusals are likely going to be much more closely scrutinized and potentially lead to formal grievances. Management and HR should be proactively planning their approach in advance.

Of course, remote working is not everyone’s preference and it has its downsides. It can be lonely and isolating, having a negative impact on employees’ mental health and workplace collaboration and diversity. In particular, junior employees can miss out on developing vital skills and a professional network.

Therefore, striking the right balance inevitably seems like the best way to future proof both businesses and individual career progression. In our view, it is not a question of if but when will we return to the city; but expect that most employees will not want to spend as much time there as they and we once did.

 

We’re Elixis Technology

In the ever-changing, technology-centric world we live in, it’s vital to have an I.T. solution source you can count on. At Elixis Technology, it is our mission to help businesses — big and small — produce the results their customers demand, with technology that actually works.

.

News Source: https://www.cityam.com

Meetings in Teams : Microsoft 365 Tool Tips

Jeff Remote Working January 14, 2021

Problem: Organising meetings can be tedious and time consuming

Solution: Microsoft Teams ‘Meetings’ tool

Microsoft Teams – as mentioned previously – is revolutionary – it is no wonder an average of 115 million people worldwide log in to the application daily. One of the key features of Teams is the ability to hold virtual meetings. Audio/video conferencing is one of the main attractions of Microsoft Teams; it allows you to hold a meeting with up to 300 participants, and ‘live events’ with up to 20,000! Teams is designed and perfectly equipped to unite a workforce no matter their geographical location.

Let us dive straight in – past the beginner level functionality – and explore what may be useful to you when using Meetings.

No matter the size of your workforce, scheduling meetings can be a frustrating, time consuming task. Teams provides a solution, with its easy-to-use scheduling assistant.

Meeting Scheduling and the Scheduling assistant

The scheduling assistant can be accessed through the ‘new meeting’ option in the calendar tab.


To arrange a meeting, navigate to the calendar tab on the left. Then, select ‘new meeting’ located below your user icon in the top right. You will then see a form into which you can enter all your meeting requirements. Enter the names of those you wish to attend, select a start and end time, link the meeting to a channel, set the meeting to recur if you wish, and so on.

Now for what makes Teams unique.

Once having entered the names of participants invited to attend the meeting, you are presented with suggested times (just below the date and time section of the form). Teams cross references the schedules of all participants and offers times that best suit everyone’s schedules, potentially saving you hours of organisation time.

Another good addition to Teams is ‘In-Meeting Chat’

In-Meeting Chat

In-meeting instant messaging makes it possible to communicate with another participant of the meeting without interrupting the speaker.

To display the chat interface, select ‘show conversation’ from the menu of actions at the top right of the meeting window.

Another tool to note is the ability to ‘raise your hand’ in a meeting.

‘Raise your hand’

For a tool that lets you get the speaker’s attention without interrupting, select the hand icon from the menu of actions, select ‘this action’, then * (star).


This action will then appear as a notification in the ‘show participants’ tab. Attendees that raise their hand have an icon displayed alongside their name.

Teams can make you rethink what levels of teamwork your team can achieve when working in office or remotely. If used correctly Teams can allow the levels of productivity and organisation displayed in office to be mirrored in a remote setting. It would be beneficial to delve deeper into Teams and play around with its features; the platform can improve most work processes if used correctly.

 

Elixis Technology is here to help

At Elixis Technology have the expertise to guide you in a personally tailored direction that best suits your business. We can ensure you buy the correct tools to support a remote work setting, thereby helping your employees to thrive – whatever the setting. Contact us to find out more today.

 

For more information, feel free to send us a message.

Co-Authoring : Microsoft 365 Tool Tips

Jeff Remote Working January 14, 2021

Problem: Working together on the same files can prove difficult

Solution: Co-Authoring with Microsoft 365

Microsoft Teams; the go-to application for connectivity, collaboration and productivity. With 115 million people using Teams on average worldwide each day, the appeal is its functionality, ease of use and extensive features designed around productivity.

A particularly good feature of Teams is Co-Authoring.

Co-Authoring

“With Office and OneDrive or SharePoint, multiple people can work together on a Word document, Excel spreadsheet, or PowerPoint presentation. When everyone is working on it at the same time, that’s called co-authoring.” ¹

Before this revolutionary feature it was difficult to stay organised when multiple employees wanted to work on a document. After having all made their own alterations to their copy of the document, everything must then be consolidated into one ‘master copy’ – a time consuming and resource-wasteful process.

This method forced employees to work alone on their alterations, which is unproductive – if you have a team that normally work on the subject matter at hand you want them to be able to communicate and work together like in the office setting – teamwork makes for a better result.

Co-Authoring makes it possible for more than one person to edit a document simultaneously in real time.

Now let us explore how to use this feature.

How to Co-Author

The following part of the blog instructs you on how to co-author with Microsoft Word, but the same instructions apply to PowerPoint and Excel.

Previously, if you needed help with a document your only option was to email to its recipient, and they would send it back. This made for a very time – consuming experience, made worse if there were multiple people needing to edit.

Open a Word document.

Then put the document into the Cloud to allow everyone to work on it simultaneously. At first the terminology used is a ‘local copy’ as it is on your own desktop. To do this go to the top right of your screen and click ‘Share’.

Once having clicked Share an option appears in the centre of your screen to upload to OneDrive.

On selecting OneDrive, it will upload the document for you. Now it is in OneDrive you can share the document with others.


In this section you can decide who is allowed to see and edit the document.

You have now got to the stage where it is possible to co-author on the document you have made available to your colleague.

You both have the document open simultaneously.

You can also see what part of the document they are on by the name above their cursor.

We can be sure you make the most of your tech, and help you to utilize everything it has to offer.

 

Elixis Technology is here to help

At Elixis Technology have the expertise to guide you in a personally tailored direction that best suits your business. We can ensure you buy the correct tools to support a remote work setting, thereby helping your employees to thrive – whatever the setting. Contact us to find out more today.

 

For more information, feel free to send us a message.

The ‘Chat’ feature: Microsoft 365 Tool Tips

Jeff Remote Working January 14, 2021

Problem: Needing a place to chat and send documents securely that is easier than email but more secure than a social network app

Solution: Microsoft Teams ‘Chat’ feature

Microsoft Teams is one of the fastest growing applications Microsoft have ever released. Teams’ daily users rose to an average of 115 million as of November 2020. Using Teams is your next step to maximizing your productivity levels as it has many features that can assist you in this.

Businesses across the globe are seeing how much it contributes to improvements in productivity and are adopting it as a vital tool to continue achieving targets during these uncertain times.

Let’s take a look at the Teams Chat feature.

Chat

Microsoft Teams ‘Chat’ feature allows you to be in contact with anyone in your team from anywhere. As similar as this sounds to a normal application designed around casual chats to friends, this has some major differences that put it head and shoulders above others.

A particularly good feature that is made available by Chat is the ability to attach files directly from OneDrive, easily allowing the recipient to amend the document.

You can do this by first finding the Chat option in the top left of your screen and clicking on it.

Pick your recipient, then find and click the paperclip below the message box.

Once having clicked the paperclip an option for either ‘OneDrive’ or ‘Upload from my computer’ appears. Pick the one you want.

Combining a secure environment for file sharing with a relaxed chat feature is a revolutionary concept. The combination makes it easy to use for the less IT literate as everything is in one place.

Another interesting part of Microsoft Teams is the ‘Activity feed’. The feed allows you to see every place that a certain recipient has posted within Teams, allowing you to locate something you have misplaced or just keep track of the activities of that individual.

You can do this by first selecting the person whose activities you want to check. At the top of the screen you have the options; Chat, Files, Organization, and Activity.

Click on Activity. A list will follow of all the places they have shared something on Teams. This facility allows you to be more productive with your time.

 

Another feature that is worth looking at is the ‘Add a tab’ option. This allows you to add a tab to your dashboard, giving you easier access to selected files, etc.

As when going to Activity, choose the recipient you wish to add a tab to the conversation with, go to the top of the screen and (next to Chat, Files, Organization and Activity) is a + sign – click the +.

Once having clicked the + you are presented with multiple options to choose from as to which tab you want to add to your dashboard (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc). Click to select.

In the next and last blog in the series, we will look at how to use the ‘meetings’ feature of Microsoft Teams, how to ensure you get the most from it, and how it can alleviate the usual stresses of organizing a meeting.

 

Elixis Technology is here to help

At Elixis Technology have the expertise to guide you in a personally tailored direction that best suits your business. We can ensure you buy the correct tools to support a remote work setting, thereby helping your employees to thrive – whatever the setting. Contact us to find out more today.

 

For more information, feel free to send us a message.

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