Whether it’s because of government surveillance or cyberattacks, internet users are more concerned than ever about the privacy of their online activities. Unfortunately, security measures like firewalls and antivirus software can’t help you in this case, but there’s one that can: Virtual Private Network (VPN). What is VPN? Simply put, a VPN is a group of servers you connect to via the internet. Once you’ve established a connection, your computer acts as if it’s on the same local connection as the VPN, making it seem like you moved to a different location. When you surf the web through a VPN, all the data transmitted and received is also encrypted, preventing anyone -- from hackers to government agencies -- from monitoring your online activities. Why should you have one? Of course, security and privacy are major reasons why you would want a VPN. For example, if you’re connected to a public WiFi network -- like the ones you typically see in local cafes and airports -- using a VPN encrypts the information you’re sending or accessing online. This means things like credit card details, login credentials, private conversations, or other sensitive documents can’t be intercepted by a third party. VPNs are also useful for accessing geo-restricted websites. If you’re traveling abroad and certain US websites are blocked in that region, you can simply connect to a VPN located in the US to access the sites you need. Which VPN should you choose? Given the increasing demand for secure online privacy, VPNs are surging in popularity. The following considerations can help you find the right one. 1. Cost While free VPNs are available, we strongly suggest you avoid them. These keep logs of your internet activity, and in some cases sell them to the highest bidder. Maintaining a VPN service is also expensive, which means the free ones will likely plaster ads on your browser to make a quick buck. Paid VPNs like SurfEasy and StrongVPN often come with more robust features and configurations that keep you secure. What’s more, they don’t keep a record of the sites you visit and hound you with pop-ups that lead to dangerous websites. 2. Location The physical location of VPN servers is important if you want to access region-blocked websites. So if you’re planning on accessing a UK-based service, your VPN provider must at least have servers installed in London. 3. Capacity Read through a VPN provider’s terms of service to determine how much data you’re allowed to use. If possible, find out how many servers a VPN provider has. If they have plenty of servers online, you can rest assured that they have the capacity to support your internet browsing. 4. Device compatibility Another important factor to consider is whether the VPN can be used across multiple devices. Nowadays, employees work on laptops, tablets, and smartphones, so you’ll want a VPN that’s compatible with all these. 5. IP leaking Finally, a great way to evaluate a VPN service is to sign up for their free trial service and visit https://ipleak.net/, which will allow you to check whether your real IP address is actually being leaked. If it manages to track your physical location, you need to opt for a more reliable VPN service. VPNs are now a vital component of cybersecurity, and if you need help selecting the right one for your business, consult with Multi IT's security experts today on 011 435 0450. We also offer comprehensive cybersecurity services so no hacker or third party can get their hands on your data.

In July 2017, Microsoft announced three brand new apps for Office 365: Connections, Listings, and Invoicing. They were designed for businesses with fewer than 300 employees and after a few months of beta testing, they’re finally available to Business Premium users. Take a minute to learn about what they can do for your team! Microsoft Invoicing Word and Excel have hundreds of templates for generating company invoices, but this new app does much more than just create documents. Invoicing allows you to store the names, descriptions, and prices of your products and services in a connected database. You can also store your tax information, company logo, and a click-to-pay PayPal badge, which means half of the necessary information is automatically filled out the moment you click Create. In addition to clean and professional looking documents, Invoicing also makes it easy to organize, store, and search past invoices thanks to a built-in QuickBooks integration. Last but not least, all of this is easily accessible from Microsoft’s mobile app. Microsoft Listings With its centralized dashboard, Listings allows you to manage and update company details displayed by Google, Facebook, Bing, and Yelp. It also helps you monitor your company’s online reputation by tracking page-views, company reviews, and Likes. Microsoft Connections Connections is the perfect app for small business email marketing. Similar to the Invoicing platform, Connections stores your company information and uses it to create personalized email marketing campaigns with the click of a button. For example, templates for newsletters, referrals, and promotions include customizable discounts and offers that trigger pre-written follow-up campaigns. Connections tracks and analyzes the performance of all your email-based campaigns to make refining and improving your content a breeze, whether it’s from your desktop or the mobile app. How to enable Invoicing, Listings, and Connections As long as you have an Office 365 Business Premium subscription, accessing these apps requires only a global admin login. From the Admin Center, click the Settings tab on the left-hand side of the screen, followed by Services & add-ins and then Business apps. In this menu, you can grant specific users permission to use Microsoft’s newest programs. Setting up these apps is fairly easy. However, it’s even easier to have your Office 365 account managed by us. We could have remotely installed Invoicing, Listings, and Connections for you almost a month ago, and with our information security expertise and unlimited IT support requests, there’s no limit to the value we can add to your Office 365 subscription. Give Multi IT a call on 011 435 0450 to get started!

Nonprofit organizations face many challenges when it comes to technology including restricted budgets and limited in-house IT resources. This makes it difficult to own, implement, manage and leverage mission-critical technology. Gartner Group reports that businesses spend an average of 2.3% of annual revenues on IT. Regardless of whether your tech budget is higher or lower than 2.3%, it’s important to have a strategy and invest in IT systems, apps and support services that move your organization forward. A comprehensive IT strategy helps nonprofits: Increase earned revenues Track donors more reliably Use volunteers more efficiently Better meet the needs of constituents Discover new opportunities Deliver new services At Multi IT, we collaborate with your nonprofit to identify technology solutions that address your unique needs. With Multi IT, nonprofits can leverage technology to better serve constituents and cultivate donors while still keeping costs down. Multi IT has a history of supporting nonprofits and experience with programs specifically designed for nonprofit organizations. Reliable, current technology is possible on a limited budget Multi IT consults with nonprofit clients to identify current objectives and your vision for the future. With that insight, we help you create a strategic direction for your technology environment that complements your short, medium and long-term goals. Typically, a plan is laid out prioritizing items of concern and scheduling replacements and upgrades over the course of the year. By working with a professional managed IT provider, your nonprofit can put plans and budgets into place to routinely replace equipment. This rotation not only saves money but keeps systems working efficiently and securely, including donated workstations which may be at the end of their usefulness even at the time they’re donated. With donated hardware or even new consumer/professional or “prosumer” equipment, workstations can be flimsy and won’t integrate seamlessly with other parts of your environment. Prosumer devices can also create security problems, make it more difficult to access key line of business applications, and cause bottlenecks with higher-speed internet services. For instance, you might upgrade to a 100Mb internet connection only to find your current firewall only has enough throughput to handle a 50Mb connection. Now you’re paying for a service you can’t even use. You should be operating with business-grade technology which Multi IT has the resources and expertise to deliver. With the advice of IT professionals, nonprofits can benefit from IT standards, have less downtime and enjoy a much higher quality of service than they’d get with on-call, break-fix technology support. Break-fix doesn’t make sense in the long run It may seem like a good idea to only retain professional IT assistance when something isn’t working, but in the long run, this approach costs more and damages the overall performance of your organization. Downtime is expensive. If your system goes down, you need the issue addressed quickly. You don’t want your IT person to be learning as they troubleshoot your problem. To make matters worse, many break-fix companies only look at the immediate issue, not the big picture. This sets you up for a merry-go-round of break, fix, repeat. This means more visits from your IT provider and more expenses for you. Cost management is almost impossible in a break-fix IT set up. Systems aren’t routinely monitored and managed so breakdowns are unpredictable. Break-fix support costs are uncertain and risky. Multi IT has first-hand experience working closely with nonprofits and brings a wealth of expertise to implement useful, reliable and cost-effective technology. Be proactive about your technology today – contact Multi IT online or at 011 435 0450.