LAN Systems 
  
May/June 2015 eNewsletter
   
Our most popular blog posts are on tools for Outlook.  We have gotten thousands of hits over the past few years from all around the world.  Below is our latest tip for creating an out-of-office message for Outlook 2013.
 
Is your website mobile-friendly?  Some tips and link to check to be sure you are ready for the mobile ranking changes from Google.
 
This month's guest blog is from Cha Holmes on keeping data scanned to your printer safe from prying eyes.
 
Now is a great time to migrate to Office 365 with Microsoft incentives.  Contact us if you'd like more details.
 
On Earth Day, we collected over 6,000 pounds of eWaste. All proceeds to benefit the Georgia Firefighters Burn Foundation.  More pictures on our Pinterest Page.
 
Thanks!  
Mary
  

Creating an Auto Reply in Outlook 2013  

 

If you are going to be away from email, it is good policy to create an auto reply.  This will let your colleagues and clients know what to do while you are away.  It is simple to create and you can customize as needed. We have included a sample out-of-office reply that is short and sweet.  Important tip:  Don't forget to turn off when you return!

 

1. Open Outlook

 

2. Click the file tab and then select Automatic Replies

  

 

3. Check the send automatic replies box and word your reply in the given space below for contacts inside your organization.


 

4. Next, click the only send during this time box and input the dates you wish to use.


5. Select the Outside My Organization tab and create your reply to outside contacts. Here is an example:

 

Sample Template for Out of Office Message

Thank you for your eMail!  I will be out of the office [Start Date] through [End date].  I will respond to all eMails as quickly as possible upon my return. Please contact [Secondary Contact at [email protected]] or call the office directly at [Your Company Phone Number] if you need immediate assistance.

Thank you!

[Your Name]

 

6. When finished click OK.

 

7. When you want to turn off auto reply, repeat Step 1 and select do not send automatic replies.

 

Find other great tips for Office 2013 in the Quick Start Guides.
 

       

Is your website mobile-friendly?

 

If you own or manage a website, you have probably heard about mobile-friendly options and the risk of mobilegeddon. On April 21st 2015, Google changed how they will rank mobile websites in search results.  It does not apply to all searches, only those on mobile devices.

 

Especially for those that rely on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to rank in Google searches, it can be unsettling to hear that Google is changing the rules.  Depending upon your platform, the addition of mobile-friendly format can be difficult or easy. We use Wordpress for our site and have been using WPtouch for our mobile theme settings.

 

Here is Google's further explanation from their Webmaster Blog. This update:

  • Affects only search rankings on mobile devices
  • Affects search results in all languages globally
  • Applies to individual pages, not entire websites

To find out if your site is mobile-friendly (from Google's point-of-view), run this Google mobile-friendly tool.  It will analyze your site and give you instant feedback if you.  We ran on our site and got these results:

 

 

 

 

This is also an excellent opportunity to make sure that you have a good backup for your website. Do a backup and restore to verify that you have a current backup and that you can complete a successful restoration.

 

 

The IT Services People!
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Guest Blog - Copiers Are A Hidden Treasure For Identity Thieves 

Have you ever thought about whose hands the information you copy and/or scan can land?

 

Think of all the different types of documents that are copied/scanned (tax returns, medical records, financial information, etc.) and the personal information within these documents. The reason is that today's digital copy machines contain hand drives, similar to computers, which are capable of storing a large volume of digital information.

 

Nearly all commercial copy machines manufactured since 2002 contain a hard drive that can store every copy/scan made, item printed or fax scanned. While the information might be encrypted, it's not usually a challenge for hackers to access details, including Social Security and telephone numbers, bank accounts and credit-card numbers, according to digital experts. Administrative service departments hold auctions for IT equipment where the equipment is sold to end users.  What could the motivation of these end users be beyond just acquiring the older equipment?

 

To remove the confidential information from the hard drive of the copier is the sole responsibility of the company that initially acquired the equipment.  To have other agencies or companies assume responsibility to sanitize the copier hard drive is a costly endeavor and not realistic. Security companies across the company have called copiers, faxes and printers a gold mine for identify thieves.  Thieves sometimes rummage through garbage lots for discarded equipment to simply attain the hard drives for malicious use.

 

While security experts have been raising the alarm about copiers and similar devices, not many people are paying attention.  The idea has not echoed. It's important to be proactive in this time of concern about identify theft. It is highly recommended to destroy hard drives in old copiers and other machines or taking them to recycling companies.   Attaining a certificate of destruction is critical for proof that the necessary measures were taken to clear the owner from liability prior to returning or discarding the copier equipment.

 

Some state agencies have taken the necessary precautions to block thieves, but some companies have paid the price.   A New York medical organization had to pay the federal government a $1.2 million fine for leaving health information for 344,000 customers on the hard drives of leased copy machines. States hold auctions for surplus electronics and other items to the public after they reach the end of their life for commercial use.  Other organizations, higher educational institutions and municipalities have first bid at the items before they are auctioned.  The selling organizations have used this vehicle as a revenue generator but have avoided conversation about the downside to their sales.

 

Warnings from the Federal Trade Commission about security issues with copiers and similar devices started taking place a few years ago:

"The hard drive in a digital copier stores data about the documents it copies, prints, scans, faxes or emails.   If you don't take steps to protect that data, it can be stolen from the hard drive, either by remote access or by extracting the data once the drive has been removed," stated in a federal bulletin at www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/copier-data-security-guide-businesses.

 

Some manufacturers include security options at additional cost to wipe out the information on copier hard drives.  Other suggestions are to take measures to include either encryption or overwriting, which covers existing data with random characters, making files difficult, if not impossible, to reconstruct. Companies that lease or purchase copying equipment are the ones that are responsible for taking action at the end of the equipment life.  They cannot rely on sales reps in the copier industry as the industry has notoriously been known for massive turnover.

 

Cha Holmes is Co-Founder and Managing Partner for EDGE Business Systems.  He helps improve efficiencies for organizations providing analysis, customization and recommendations to create an efficient work environment for all document processes.  Feel free to connect at [email protected].