Most companies go to great lengths to ensure that appropriate security measures are applied to servers, workstations, and firewalls through applications and policies. However, businesses often neglect to consider the inherent security vulnerabilities involved with their peripheral devices such as multifunctional printers (MFPs – print, copy, fax and scan all in one system).  A 2010 feature on CBS’ 60 Minutes highlighted many of these risks including documents stored on MFP hard drives to printed information left on MFPs and never picked up.  What many customers don’t know is that some manufacturers’ MFPs come with optional security features that when enabled minimize these risks.

All Covered asked Konica Minolta (its parent company) to help shed some light on this important security topic. Here is some helpful advice on securing your MFPs.

Understanding the Problem

Businesses use secondary computing devices – MFPs – that might create critical security gaps for the following reasons:

• Unauthorized network access can be a problem with many MFPs.  Because most MFPs don’t have built-in security and are designed to integrate with your business’s mail servers to distribute faxes to users there is always a potential risk that the MFP can be used by hackers to gain access to your company’s network.
• Potential data exposure is always a risk as most MFPs store data in centrally located areas that do not require credentials for access.  All data residing on your business’s MFP is likely available to anyone that has physical access to the machine.
• Data theft can be a problem if the MFP or the hard drive within it is stolen or if the device is returned to the vendor for any reason (a lease expires).  In the event that the device or its hard drive is stolen or sent back to the vendor, all data on the hard drive is accessible to whoever is in physical control of the MFP because encryption and password protection are typically not available or enabled on MFPs.

The solution

Small businesses need to include security as part of their MFP evaluations.  If it is overlooked your valuable data could be at risk.   Security features every business should look for in MFPs include:

• Hard Drive Encryption is usually an 8 or 20-character alphanumeric key that encrypts the entire contents of the MFP drive.  Look for products that use real-time 128-bit AES encryption algorithms to provide the highest level of protection if the hard drive is removed from the device.
• Hard Drive Lock Password is an additional level of security that can be added to a hard drive by electronically locking it to the MFP via a 20-digit alphanumeric password.  The password is applied directly to the BIOS of the hard drive and prevents access to the hard disk data. This also protects the hard drive from unauthorized access if it is removed or switched to another device.
• Automatic Deletion of Temporary Image Data on a timely basis is another safeguard to data security for MFPs.  An auto deletion time can be set for data stored in the personal or public user boxes, as well as system boxes (e.g. secure print box or encrypted PDF print box). The auto deletion setting will erase the copy, print, scan or fax jobs stored in boxes, depending on the storage period and the time frame selected for deletion.
• Data Overwrite of Electronic Documents on a Timed Basis eliminates the potential of retrieving temporary data even after it’s been deleted. This feature automatically overwrites each completed job, deleting it from MFP and leaving no trace of its data anywhere in the system.  Be sure that the feature is in compliance with U.S. Department of Defense standards by using either one-time overwrite or three times overwrite.

Konica Minolta, has led the industry in providing enhanced security features for the digital era.  With our new bizhub SECURE professional service, Konica Minolta helps customers set up enhanced password protection and data security features on all its bizhub MFPs.   This ensures that any document data residing on bizhub MFP’s internal hard drive is locked down.

Learn more

Your business’s IT network needs to be secured and protected against potential data exposure especially if your business has to adhere to regulatory guidelines (such as healthcare origination). One of the easiest ways to ensure that it meets these requirements is to purchase MFPs that include the industry’s most cutting-edge security technologies – most of which come standard on Konica Minolta bizhub MFPs.  To learn more about how to secure your network including your MFPs, please contact the experts at All Covered or Konica Minolta.

Dino Pagliarello is director of product marketing at Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc.

Network and application controls will help your company protect its IT infrastructure from unauthorized access.  IT security experts believe that by limiting access to your corporate information systems with carefully selected controls, your business can protect itself from the potential damages that unauthorized access can cause.

 Top five network and application controls

Most cyber security experts believe that the best defenses for your corporation’s IT infrastructure should include a combination of network and application controls.  These controls, when implemented properly, will limit who can access your business’s information systems.  In order for your corporation to protect its information systems, security consultants have identified the following five network and application controls:

 1.    Boundary Defense

Multi-layered defenses need to be in place for all information systems that are accessible through the internet.  By locking down access to your company’s IT infrastructure with firewalls, proxy systems, and limited router access, your IT environment will become less vulnerable to outside cyber threats.

• Security consultants advise that your company use blacklists to block known malicious or infected IP addresses.
• IT security consultants recommend that your company install an intrusion detection system on the firewall’s DMZ port to help monitor network attacks.

2.    Wireless Device Control

Wireless access points and devices need to be secured.  Security consultants also recommend that the “auto-connect” feature on your business’s wireless devices such as smart phones, tablet pcs, and laptop computers should be disabled.

• Wireless configurations for access points should be centrally administered with configurations that allow only specifically authorized devices to connect.
• Network vulnerability scanning tools should be configured to detect all wireless access points that are connected to your corporation’s network.
• Wireless intrusion detection systems (WIDS) should be used to identify network attacks and rogue wireless devices that attempt to connect to your business’s wireless network.  IT security experts recommend that automated reports should be generated any time unauthorized access is attempted.

3.    Application Software Security

All applications that are installed on your business’s information systems need to be tested on a regularly scheduled basis.  Regardless of whether applications are created in-house or are third-party, cyber security experts recommend that any time your company decides to install a new application it do pre-deployment testing to ensure that the application does not introduce security risks to your company’s information systems.

• Web applications should be tested using Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) methodologies prior to implementation.  Cyber security experts recommend testing your systems with these methodologies because they are created by industry experts who understand the nature of cyber threats.
• All in-house developed software should reference a whitelist of acceptable input sources and data types before allowing any data in or out of the program.

4.    Malware Defenses

In order to protect your company’s IT infrastructure, all operating systems must have updated antivirus locally installed.  IT security experts caution that a single, unpatched workstation can infect your business’s entire IT environment and potentially cause catastrophic damage.

• Cyber security experts advise that as standard practice, all antivirus solutions should be scheduled to run automatically and then report to the system administrator any time a suspicious file, program, etc. is identified.
• All laptops, workstations, and servers should be configured to automatically run an antivirus scan anytime an external device such as a USB drive is attached.  Additionally, IT security experts recommend that the “auto run” feature for all external devices is disabled.

5.    Continuous Vulnerability Assessment and Remediation

Automated vulnerability scanning tools should be used on a weekly—or more frequent basis, depending upon your business’s needs.  IT security consultants recommend that all of your business’s information systems should be scanned regularly and that any unusual reports be examined immediately.

• Automated scan results should be compared to previous scans to ensure that any detected vulnerabilities have been properly repaired.
• Detailed external and internal vulnerability assessments should be performed annually to ensure that security controls will protect your business’s information systems against the latest cyber threats.

Learn more

Network and application controls can help your business protect its information systems against many potential cyber threats.  To learn about other sets of controls that will help your company create an effective cyber defense plan, please see the upcoming articles in this series.  To learn more about how network and application controls can be customized to meet your business’s particular needs, please contact the IT services experts at All Covered at 866-446-1133.

If your company uses information technology in any way, and if your company gives employees access to it, IT consulting companies advise that your business needs to have an acceptable usage policy (AUP) in place.

IT support companies believe that a carefully worded AUP  will provide your employees with the right levels of access and permissions needed to get their jobs done without giving them so much freedom that they accidently or purposefully compromise your business’s IT infrastructure.

What it is

An AUP is a document that should complement existing corporate HR policies.  It should outline what your company’s employees may and may not do with the elements of its IT infrastructure.  IT outsourcing companies that are experienced with AUPs recommend that even the most basic AUP should contain the following five sections:

1.    Introduction- This section is a general overview of what an AUP is and why it is typically needed.  The introduction should tie the AUP into the operational side of business.

2.    Purpose- IT companies suggest that the purpose section should expand upon the introduction to clearly state why your business needs the policy.  It should outline the overall effect that the policy will have for your company, business operations, and employees. In addition, the purpose section of the AUP should, at the least, identify the following:

• What problem will be prevented or solved with the implementation of an AUP
• Which goals will be met by implementing an AUP

3.    Scope- IT outsourcing providers suggest that your business’s AUP identify who is affected by the AUP as well as which systems are governed by it.  IT services providers also recommend that the scope should be very specific about the following:

• Who is obliged to follow the AUP
• Which applications and information systems are covered by the policy
• What personal devices may or may not be used in the corporate environment
• Where the policy is applicable, i.e.at the main business site, at home with remote access, at coffee shops with free Wi-Fi, etc.
• Exceptions should outline the specific individuals and  instances when the AUP may be disregarded

4.    Details- The section of the AUP should clearly identify what employees can and cannot do in regards to your business’s IT infrastructure.  IT support companies recommend that your business should clearly identify whether corporate assets may be accessed for personal use, and if so, when personal use may occur.  In addition,  a comprehensive AUP should identify how employees may use the following IT assets:

• Hardware
• Software
• Data

5.    Enforcement- IT consulting companies recommend that this last section of your company’s AUP should clearly state what will happen if an employee violates the policy.   Depending on the nature of your company’s vertical market, the enforcement section of the AUP may be very short or very long.  Typically, the enforcement portion of the policy will address the following:

• Monitoring methods that will be used to identify policy violations
• Disciplinary actions that will initiated at the identification of policy violation, i.e. verbal reprimand, formal letter in HR file, dismissal, etc.
• Legal action that might be pursued in the event that of an AUP violation

To learn more

IT outsourcing companies recommend that once your company has an AUP in place, that it require employees to review it on an annual or semiannual basis to protect corporate assets.  To learn more about how to create or implement an AUP that will complement your business’s existing HR policies, please contact the experts at All Covered at 866-446-1133.

On April 18^th, 2011, Microsoft released a beta version of their soon to be released Microsoft Office 365 which will be offered as an affordable subscription service.  IT support providers recommend that your business consider how Office 365 can complement or perhaps even replace existing productivity suites.

 What it is

Microsoft Office 365 is a cloud-based set of productivity tools that combines the familiar Microsoft Office Web Apps with a set of web-enabled tools that are simple to use and compatible with your existing hardware.  Office 365 is always on and accessible from most computing devices that have access to the internet.  IT service providers are sure that the portability of Office 365 will make it easier than ever for your business’s users to collaborate and work from any location as long as there is an internet connection.

Microsoft has worked hard to ensure that Office 365 provides your business with the data security your business needs and the reliability it expects.  Office 365 has been designed to protect your business’s critical data with redundant architecture and disaster recovery which are supported through multiple datacenters that have automatic failovers.

Features

Microsoft Office 365 has many features that will make it easier for your employees to be productive, regardless of their locations.  IT outsourcing providers especially like the features listed below:

Scalability makes Office 365 an affordable productivity suite regardless of whether your company is a small business with less than 25 users or an enterprise business with more than 250 users.

Anywhere access makes it easy to view email, calendars, and contacts at the office or on the go as long as there is an internet connection.  IT consulting services providers appreciate being able to access critical information regardless of where they are and think that your employees will, too.  Office 365 should work on most portable devices including the following:

• MacBook Air laptop computers
• iPhones and iPads
• Android phones
• Blackberry phones and tablets
• Windows phones
• Etc.

Scheduling is simple with Office 365.  IT services providers recommend this feature for your employees who are constantly on the go.  Office 365 makes it easy to view and share calendars.  Key features are as follows:

• View calendars from any web browser on most devices
• Easily view calendars for multiple people to make scheduling meetings easier

Functional Office Web Apps give your employees access to familiar productivity applications from most web browsers. With Office Web Apps, users can easily create, collaborate, and edit documents anywhere.  Web Apps include the following productivity tools:

• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Microsoft OneNote

SharePoint server accessibility makes it easy to access files stored on your corporate server from the office or on the go.  Easily access the following through an internet browser:

• Access databases
• Project data
• Collaboration information

Microsoft Lync Online helps you find and connect with the right people.  Lync Online makes it easy for you and your employees to do the following:

• Send instant messages
• Make video calls
• Hold online meetings

Learn more

To learn more about how cloud based computing solutions could help you business contact All Covered at 866-446-1133.

Wireless connections from various mobile providers and establishments have become ubiquitous, giving you constant access to the online world and allowing unbridled productivity on-the-go. For most small and medium-sized businesses, the Wi-Fi is the preferred connectivity standard for hooking up to the office’s wireless local area network and its value in the workplace is unprecedented. Needless to say, many IT companies are leveraging on its features to deliver in-house applications, tools and services to its employees and sometimes, even to clients that are within the company premises.

Needless to say, it is crucial that Wi-Fi receptions continue to be seamlessly accessible as intermittent or dropped connections to it could hamper a company’s production cycle and even cause client reliability issues. Here are a few suggestions for improving your network.

Find Out Where It’s Thinning Out

Find out which areas of your office are getting weak Wi-Fi signals by arming yourself with a Wi-Fi detector and inspecting every room. Naturally, spots in the workplace like offices, conference rooms and the entire production floors should have strong wireless receptions. However, there are smaller pockets of the office where it would be more logical to either use a more secure wired LAN connection or simply just leave Wi-Fi-free. Let your IT services department make that call. Then, you can either reorganize your router settings or rearrange your access points accordingly for optimal results.

Reorganize Your Wireless Network

Based on the list you’ve created on Wi-Fi strength per room, arrange the areas in your checklist by priority based on the existing office equipment and the common activities being done on those areas. For starters, make sure that your wireless router is positioned in a central location like a control center in the middle of a production floor, and hooked up to the ceiling to make sure there are no obstructions.

Steer Clear of Wireless Blockages and Noise

Finding the prime location for your router and strategic spots for your access points should be one of the first concerns addressed when setting up a wireless network for new office spaces or when moving to a new workplace. When mapping out where they should be placed, always consider the placement of specific elements in the room and the devices around it. Walls, floors and both metallic and concrete structures are known to weaken and even block Wi-Fi signals. Similarly, microwave ovens, Bluetooth-enabled devices like keyboards, mice and speakers, and even cordless phones and baby monitors (if you’re working from home) can also cause decays in Wi-Fi reception strength.

Update Existing Wireless Devices

More often than not, after wireless devices have been installed, most companies simply leave them behind and thoughts of future maintenance, updates and contingency plans are relegated in the backburner. Outdated equipment like wireless routers and repeaters still littering the network may cause weak or no Wi-Fi receptions in the office; perhaps due to discrepancies with the software drivers, lack of support for newer operating systems or maybe the legacy hardware components simply do not comply with the latest platforms. As such, it is of utmost importance to check for firmware updates once a month and to include wireless devices in your IT services’ hardware lifecycle refreshes. For more help with your small to medium businesses IT needs call All Covered at 866-446-1133.

Not all IT companies can provide optimum support and services to small to medium business enterprises. SMB’s have different needs compared to their larger counterparts. Because its business operations are usually run by a smaller group of people, resources are often limited and responsibilities are either stretched or juggled.

Many small businesses still believe they do not need to outsource some of their resources. Their biggest worry is usually the cost. Wouldn’t it cost more to hire another company to do something you believe you can handle yourself? There are two fallacies in this mindset: 1) Outsourcing specialized services may actually minimize expenses in the long run, and 2) Some operations, such as IT support, are best handled by certified professionals.

For those running a small to medium business enterprise, here are some factors to consider when looking for an IT service provider:

Initial System Setup

Before you can even start looking up IT companies, you need to do some strategic planning. Create a checklist of your immediate business needs and objectives. List the challenges your business is currently facing and how you would like those challenges to be addressed. The ideal IT service provider should be able to offer an initial system setup tailored to meet your immediate business needs. This may include virtualization and integrated solutions, remote support or more technical services such as cloud computing.

Personalized and Ongoing Support

Once your initial systems are in place, you will need to review what the IT company will do to ensure operations continue to run smoothly as time passes. Considering the fast-paced nature of today’s IT infrastructure, you will need ongoing support to ensure your systems are regularly updated and free from any bugs or glitches. IT companies like All Covered offer 24-hour monitoring services for after hours maintenance that can significantly reduce downtime.

Network Security

Network security is one of the most important factors to consider when looking for an IT service provider, no matter how big the company. Making sure all sensitive information, such as financial reports and customer records are securely preserved and protected is one of the most important tasks your IT support will have to take.

At the same time, your IT solutions provider should also be able to set up a network that makes the sensitive information readily accessible to authorized personnel while remaining off limits to unauthorized members or those outside your business.

Emergency Measures

The best IT companies offer crisis management and immediate disaster recovery planning to ensure the company’s business operations are able to resume quickly in the event of an emergency.

Evaluation Stage

As time passes, your business goals will change. To be able to adapt to these changes, your chosen IT solutions provider should be able to evaluate its current standing with your business and see if anything needs to be changed as well. Your IT needs to always work for you. If it turns out you will need to cut several operations or switch to new ones, your IT manager should be able to advise you on the next steps to take when planning for the long term.

All Covered provides IT solutions and services that are especially geared toward small to medium business enterprises. We provide our clients with round-the-clock, personalized support. Our IT managers are highly trained and qualified. We encourage our clients to work with us to create the best possible IT infrastructure that can meet business needs and objectives. Call us now at 866-446-1133 to learn how we can help you leverage your IT to work seamlessly with your business operations.

Many small to medium-sized business owners mistakenly believe that strategic planning is only for large businesses. Yes, bigger companies can afford the time and staff to develop a sound business plan, but we all know that in order to compete in the marketplace, it wouldn’t hurt to come up with your own game plans – with the aid of some experts.

This has been said many times, but we think it bears repeating: Strategic planning is a major part of any successful business, small or large. That does not mean, however, that a startup company needs complex plans. In fact, as a small business owner, you can actually create a good working draft of your goals, objectives and step by step plans in order to become a solid competitor. With a little advice from some strategic IT planning gurus, you can get your business strategically positioned to compete and get ahead today.

Strategic IT planning 101

What it is

Strategic IT planning involves preparing a business strategy to follow over a defined period. It aims to make the planning process for decision-making and information technology investments quicker, more flexible, and more streamlined. It can either be for a specific part of the business, such as marketing, or for the business as a whole.

Why you need it

Technology advances very rapidly. Thus, knowing and taking advantage of the latest technologies can provide a small business with competitive advantage, better efficiency and lower costs. Since it is important to make the right technology choices, it’s often wiser to get advice from the experts. With the help of experienced IT consultants and a sound strategic IT plan in place, a small business benefits because:

• There is a uniform vision and purpose
• The management of the company becomes easier by having a framework and a clearly defined direction
• The quality of services given to clients and customers can be improved greatly
• Priorities can be clearly set and resources can be matched to opportunities.
• There is improved decision-making as well in different areas, not only in IT

How it differs from business planning

It can be easy to confuse a business plan with strategic planning. Preparing and writing the former happens when one is starting a new business or a product/service line within a business. Business planning is ideal for beginnings, but strategy on the other hand, looks to growth. An IT strategy provides the business with direction as to the best technologies to use, upgrade or consider. Without a strategy, a small business’ chance of achieving its business goals is significantly diminished.

The need for IT experts to assist in strategic planning

As an owner/manager, strategic IT planning should be an integral part of your small business. After all, handling daily computer and network issues is inevitable.

For many companies, large or small, one of harder tasks is sitting down with decision makers and agreeing on IT related priorities. A long-term plan has to be thought out, and steps have to be taken in order to get to the desired business goal. This is where the years of experience of helping clients build strategic IT management plans by IT experts can help.

They can help you see the big picture, taking into consideration your business objectives, your internal workings, your network infrastructure and the competitive landscape you are in.

Have a strategic IT plan in place today. All Covered can help you devise a strategic IT plan for your business and recommend the most appropriate solutions to achieve your business goals. You can also contact us at 866-446-1133.

Many companies today constantly recruit and retain qualified IT staff to meet their business needs. Excellent human resources are needed by every organization in order to function at its best; and small and medium enterprises today are struggling to hire, train and retain the correct mix of personnel in their IT groups. The reason for this? A company’s smooth performance requires the staff, compensation, benefits and employee relation functions to continue operating at full capacity. We all know this is important because without reliable resources, the decline of business profitability and sustainability are inevitable.

Now as a small to medium enterprise, do you have enough IT staff to do all that is necessary? How do you maintain an optimum IT workforce which is flexible enough to ramp up on new technologies? Maybe you have one IT guy, but what happens when he’s sick or on vacation, and you are faced with a crucial IT issue? How do you rise up when necessary? Where do you look for, and hire, skilled people who can get going from day 1?

Every employer understands that it is very difficult to hire the right people for the job. You may meet applicants with many credentials next to their name, but they may not have the right real-world experience. On the other hand, those who have job-hopped across countries may not stay long. Even worse, they may not even have the right teamwork skills that fit your company.

As a small or medium-sized business, have you looked into the benefits of staff augmentation? IT companies that offer staff augmentation services specifically for SME’s know your pain points. They know the issues that you face, and of course, know the fix. Here are some of the advantages of staff augmentation:

• Increased efficiency – you’ll be able to meet deadlines, make deliverables on schedule when skilled IT personnel are readily available to fit into your team
• Increased customer satisfaction – when projects get done on time, and the overall bottom line is good, it definitely means more satisfied customers and more potential clients.
• Lowered costs – with staff augmentation, hiring costs and training investments are taken out of the equation so your business saves money.

Find an IT services provider from where you can tap into a diverse pool of programmers, QA engineers, architects, team leaders and project managers to find the right fit for your team. They can and will help maintain your competitive advantage by cost-effectively delivering highly skilled personnel when you need them most.

Look for these skills when you seek out staff augmentation services:

• Technology adeptness – are the employees constantly trained and are they certified in the latest tools and technology trends?
• Communication skills – can they communicate effectively in both oral and written English?
• Team work skills – can they fit seamlessly in diverse teams?

Staff augmentation services are the perfect short-term or long-term arrangement for clients who need to support technology projects or to extend technical staff skills. IT staff augmentation services work as an extension to your customer’s existing staff. The personnel are certified professionals in their domain of expertise and have full access to our technical knowledge base.

Moreover, if what should be routine operations take up too much of your current IT staff’s time or you are looking for an expert in a specific technology for a one-time project basis, augmented support can provide the experienced staff to accomplish your IT goals. Nearly every company has faced the challenge of managing a critical technology issue, and with a ready IT staff, you don’t need to worry. The support can definitely help.

If you would like to augment your IT staff today, contact All Covered at 866-446-1133. We can assess your needs and then provide with the right team of skilled computer consultants.

MS Office 2010 makes it easy for you to track and collate data in useful ways.  Enhancements to Excel and OneNote and the new Backstage app let you collect, filter, assess, and manage data in ways that are meaningful to you.

Excel

Excel, Microsoft’s spreadsheet application, has always been a useful tool to collect, manipulate and view data but Microsoft Office 2010 has taken it a step further by giving you new ways to analyze your personal and business data and highlight important trends.  Key features include the following:

• Sparklines- is a new feature in Excel 2010 that lets you create miniature charts in a single cell to help you discover patterns in your data.  Sparklines is a timesaver when it comes to assessing your data for important trends that may impact your personal and business plans in the future.  With Sparklines, it is easy to quickly track data trends such as seasonal sales and inventory so that you can make informed choices.
• Slicer- is a new feature that, according to Microsoft, “…provides you with a rich visualization of your PivotTable view so you can dynamically segment and filter the data to display precisely what you need.”
• Pivot Chart- is another new Excel 2010 feature that will let you visually represent numerical data, independent of the pivot table that supplied the data.
• PowerPivot- is a free, downloadable add-on for Excel 2010 that gives you the ability to easily collect and streamline data from multiple sources into one spreadsheet.  The PowerPivot can handle large data sets and makes it easy for you to get the big picture without spending hours toggling through multiple spreadsheets.
• Excel Web App- makes it easy for you to upload a spreadsheet to the web so that you can access it anywhere as long as you have internet access.  With the Excel Web App, you can easily co-author a spreadsheet with others, regardless of your location.

OneNote

Microsoft pulled out the stops with its upgrades to OneNote.  OneNote 2010 has the potential to be the best productivity enhancing application in the Office 2010 suite.

• Store and share- OneNote makes it simple to store and share information in an easy-to-access location.  Use OneNote 2010 to keep track of thoughts, ideas, concepts, text, images, video and audio clips all in one location, and then share it with your colleagues.
• Easy to use- It’s easy to use OneNote to take notes while you are surfing the web or working on other Microsoft files.  A handy feature, called Linked Notes, lets you easily track your information sources.
• Wiki linking- A new OneNote feature, wiki linking lets you search and browse through related content in you notebooks.

Backstage

Backstage is the “Office Button” upgrade.  Instead of clicking the Office Button to access different the file menu of things that you can do with your document, by clicking on the File tab in your ribbon, you get quick access to tools that will help you finish your project.  Backstage is where you will go to save, share, and print your document, in addition to many more useful tools that are all consolidated into one screen.  For example, instead of going through several dialogue windows just to print out a copy of a file, when you click on the “print” option, all of your printing options appear at the same time, saving you from the headache of navigating through multiple screens.  In addition, Backstage also lets you assign metadata, check it for accessibility, and finalize it before sharing your document with others.

Learn more

To learn more about the newest ways to manage your data with Microsoft Office 2010, please contact the Microsoft Gold Partners and data experts at All Covered at 866-446-1133.

Express Yourself with MS Office 2010

Microsoft Office 2010 makes it easy for you to punch up the simplest text into an attention grabbing statement.  They did it by improving several tools introduced in earlier versions of Office and by adding a few new ones to enhance your productivity.  By using familiar programs such as Word, PowerPoint, Publisher, and Outlook, you can create a message that your audience won’t be able to ignore.

Create it

Expressing yourself starts with creating content that can connect you to your audience.  Microsoft makes it easy to do that with Office 2010.

Improved picture editing- With Office 2010, you don’t need to edit pictures in a separate program before inserting them into your Word document, Publisher file, or PowerPoint presentation.  A large selection of artistic effects  allow you to take a basic photo and manipulate it as you would in any other photo program, except that you don’t have to leave your current project to do it.  Combined with a large and newly enhanced selection of Office themes and SmartArt® graphic layouts, it is easy to turn basic text and a few photos into professional presentation material.

Improved audio and video editing- Office 2010 makes it easy to add audio and video effects to your presentations.  With the newest version of PowerPoint, you can easily insert audio and video files and edit them in PowerPoint.  Earlier versions of PowerPoint required third party editing programs to modify audio and video before inserting it into a presentation, often causing compatibility issues, but with PowerPoint 2010, file editing is done in the program, eliminating those issues.  Also, in this newest version of PowerPoint, you have access to terrific special effects that make it easy to fade in and fade out sound and video, and manipulate the files in other artistic ways that let you express yourself and get your point across to your audience.

Share it

Once you’ve created a document or presentation you need a way to get it to your audience and Microsoft makes it easy for you to do that.  Office 2010 helps you get your message out in several ways.

Broadcast Slide Show- This new feature lets you publish your PowerPoint slide deck to your audience, even if they don’t have PowerPoint on their computers or mobile devices.  MS makes it easy to upload your presentation on your company SharePoint server or cloud storage site and make it accessible to your audience through almost any web browser.

Publish it with Publisher- Publisher 2010 makes it easy to create and post your web publications.  With the click of a button, you can post your newest web publication to any folder on your computer or to an FTP, network, or web server.

Learn more

Office 2010 makes it easy to express yourself and share your ideas with others.  To learn more about how the newest version of MS Office can help you express yourself, please contact the Microsoft Gold Partners and Office 2010 experts at All Covered at 866-446-1133.