Newsletter

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NEW! Helpdesk Appointment Scheduling

Team members who submit tickets will be able to select the time that best fits their busy schedule and the selection will result in a calendar appointment.

Again, this tool’s use is dedicated as an offering for non-urgent tickets only by our technicians after reviewing urgency status with users.

Email the account team at ask@mxotech.com with any questions.

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Join us! Wednesday, February 3rd at 10:00am CT

Bringing in 2021 with a brand-new, completely revamped Cyber Security Training Session!

A lot has changed in the past year, including the things that threaten our company’s security each day. The tactics criminals use advance quickly, meaning we must take training on an ongoing basis to stay ahead of the game. We all have a responsibility to educate ourselves on cybersecurity topics that could prevent a costly mistake for ourselves, each other, or our customers.

That’s why we’re inviting you to attend our FREE Cyber Security Training Session

Wednesday, February 3rd at 10:00am CT Click this link to register.

During this free MXO webinar, you'll discover:

• The scary risks of mobile and cloud computing
• The #1 security threat to your business that anti-virus, firewalls and other security protocols are defenseless to.
• Why firewalls and anti-virus software give you a false sense of security

Who should attend?

C-Level executives and managers who are concerned about: lost or stolen devices, privacy of confidential information, employment litigation introduced when employees use personal devices to access company data and State and Federal laws that carry heavy fines for lost or stolen data. This is of particular importance for those organizations that handle ANY sensitive data such as credit card and financial information, medical records (or serve clients who have medical records) or who simply want to avoid having their bank account wiped out due to a cyber-attack.

REGISTER NOW

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What technology you can purchase for business with the new $1.4 Trillion Stimulus Package:

Allowable expenses for 2nd Draw Loans now include:

• Software and computing services to facilitate business operations, tracking of payroll, sales & billing – etc.
• Property damage – specifically if sustained during “public disturbances” in 2020
• Supplier costs – essential costs incurred to run your business
• Worker protection costs (think masks, plexiglass, drive up windows, etc.)

More updates to follow now that the House (359-53) and Senate (91-7) have passed 5,593 pages of new legislation:

The full bill text can be found here.

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Coronavirus Security Scams

Coronavirus Scams are on the rise. Together we can spread awareness and prevent security breaches for common scams associated with:

• Government Impersonators
• Fraudulent Cures & Test
• Counterfeit Medicinal Equipment
• Fake Websites

Download this flyer for your office

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Tech Tip: Save Time & Restore a Session

To access previous file versions, click File > Info and select View. A tab will open allowing you to see all previous versions of the document, compare content, and restore prior changes if desired.

When working in PowerPoint, administrators can even compare a single slide’s editing history and the changes made by each author to approve contributions made by each team member. This ability to restore file versions by slide can maximize the value of previous work efforts and compare data on presentations such as sales pitches, marketing presentations, or quarterly financial updates.

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Emergency Response (ER) Tech Visits

• Wear a mask. In effort to keep all parties safe we will also wear a mask.
• Social distance by 6 feet or more. We require ample space to perform onsite safely.
• Limit staff interaction. Minimize the number of staff to only necessary for the work.

We realize this may sound redundant, but it is of utmost importance that we keep our teams healthy. If you have questions or concerns about this policy, please contact us. Dedicated to supporting you,

The MXOtech Team

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Season's Greetings from our MXOtech Family:

This year we reflect upon how lucky we are to have clients and friends like you supporting us. While we're counting our blessings, there are so many others who are making ends meet before the pandemic but are now facing threats of empty plates and empty stomachs.

This year, instead of sending out traditional candy and treats to your office from Long Grove Confectionary, we have made a donation in your behalf to Greater Chicago Food Depository, which will benefit our neighbors who have been negatively impacted by COVID-19. Your gift will help to provide families, veterans, and older adults across Chicago and Cook County with food to eat this holiday season.

Thank you so much for helping us shape and grow our business. From all of us here at MXOtech, we wish you and your family a healthy holiday and prosperous new year.

This link is available if you would like to join us in contribution to:

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Tech Tips: Preparations for Celebrations Online

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Emergency Text: A new feature from MXOtech

Please provide the name and mobile phone number of the person(s) within your organization that should be contacted in the event of a technical emergency or outage if email communication is unreliable using the form in this link.

Note: Text Communication will NOT be used for marketing purposes. We will only contact you via text message in the event of an emergency.

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Tech Tip: Improving Outlook Search Results

Many find the "most relevant" search result in Outlook not so relevant after all. If you or your team are hoping for Outlook email search improvements, this how you take care of it:

In the desktop program, click on File / Options / Search. Uncheck the box “Show most relevant search results on top.”

In webmail (both Outlook.com and Office 365 webmail), click on Settings / View all Outlook settings / General / Search. Check the box “Don't show top results.”

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Updated Support System

We are officially live on the new Call Center feature on the Support Desk!

When you call MXO Support at (312)-267-0565, you will now have the option to:

• Hold for the next available technician or,
• Leave a message with non-technical staff or,
• Leave a voice recording that will automatically generate a ticket.

We hope that these new features will provide a better experience for our customers when reaching the Support Desk via phone. As always, you are also welcome to email support@mxotech.com if you would like to automatically generate a ticket for our support team.

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Emergency Response (ER) Tech Visits

• Wear a mask. In effort to keep all parties safe we will also wear a mask.
• Social distance by 6 feet or more. We require ample space to perform onsite safely.
• Limit staff interaction. Minimize the number of staff to only necessary for the work.

We realize this may sound redundant, but it is of utmost importance that we keep our teams healthy. If you have questions or concerns about this policy, please contact us. Dedicated to supporting you,

The MXOtech Team

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MXO Office Holiday Hours

MXO technicians will be on call to assist you while our office is closed.

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Gratitude Unmasked

“3 Techie” Reasons You Can Be Thankful This Season

1. Cyber Thieves Keep A-Knockin’ But They Can’t Come In. A study presented at the International Conference on Dependable Systems and Networks showed that small-business networks are attacked every 39 seconds by some type of hacker or malicious software. Thankfully, having the proper firewall and office network security tools can prevent even the most determined cyber hacker from getting his hands on your network. Are your systems covered?
2. Frequent Downtime Should Be A Thing Of The Past. Hot fixes, patches and security updates are maintained on a regular basis to keep your network healthy. If, for some reason, your network still has some kind of downtime, cloud-based remote management tools allow MXO to access your system from anywhere, getting you up and running more quickly than ever before.
3. If Disaster Strikes, You Can Be Back Up & Running In Minutes Instead Of Days. In addition to lost data, many businesses’ operations would be completely down for days or weeks if a major disaster like fire, flood or theft ever occurred. Here’s where Backup & Disaster Recovery solutions (BDR) can help you feel very thankful indeed. Most of today’s BDR solutions include a “virtualization” component, which means an exact “picture” of your server and computers is taken throughout the day and stored elsewhere. If you are using a BDR solution like Datto and you ever need to get back up and running, MXO can simply restores that image…and you’re back in business.

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Tech Tip: PDF Editor

The Simple Recipe for Success:

Step 1: Upload the PDF into a secure Google Drive

Step 2: Right-click and choose Open with ‘ Google Docs’.

No oven mitts required!

This is a great and simple feature when you only have a PDF file of your apartment lease, client contract or even just a photo with text (picture of your drivers license maybe?) and you need to have an editable copy of the document or grab the text from the photo quickly without re-typing. This allows the PDFs to be converted into an editable document even if you do not have an Adobe Acrobat PDF Editor license.

While there are additional ways to accomplish this, we are featuring this capability in conjunction with Google Docs as the G Suite for personal and professional use.

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Software Trends: Apple Removes Cross-Site Tracking

Apple adds intelligent tracking prevention in the new version of Safari browser in the coming Mac OS Big Sur release by removing the cross-site tracking data. At last, searching for socks on line will not result in seeing ads for socks everywhere you browse.

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Techie Update: New LinkedIn Connection with Teams and Zoom

You can now make Zoom or Microsoft Teams calls via LinkedIn!

LinkedIn's announcement comes as part of a major overhaul for the business-focused social media platform, launching alongside the site's first major visual redesign in five years. From the start of October 2020 across mobile and desktop, LinkedIn users will be able to switch their conversations from chat to face-to-face directly from LinkedIn messages.

To start, you'll just need to click on the video icon next to where you'd type a message, which will bring up a menu where you can choose from Teams, Zoom, or BlueJeans and a prompt to sign in. Users can share a unique link to start an instant meeting, or schedule for later.

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Tech of the Month:

Mike Beran is MXOtech’s UX/UI Designer at MXOtech. Mike exemplifies our core value of Walk With A Purpose.

As the UX/UI Designer at MXOtech, Mike’s goal is to create a joyful and engaging experience for the end-user by leveraging design thinking as a tool to conquer unique challenges. Mike has been designing for over 20 years and helping organizations build meaningful online experiences since 2010. He has designed solutions for healthcare organizations, industrial automation, higher education, Major League Sports, the banking sector, and music industry. He believes in creating a fun and simple way to accomplish online tasks. No roadblocks.

Mike has always had a passion for creative thinking. As a kid, he drew comic book art and designed tattoos for his high school friends. He still draws and paints in his free-time today! Mike is also a proud father, husband, dog owner and coach for youth sports. As a matter of fact, he recently began coaching 7th and 8th grade youth flag football. He enjoys helping the athletes compete for the championship while having fun doing it.

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Your Computer Network Is Being Haunted!

(And It’s Worse Than Ghosts And Goblins)

Here are 7 critical security measures your business must have in place to have any chance of fending off these cyber criminals tampering with your network:

1. Train Employees On Security Best Practices. The #1 vulnerability for business networks is the employees using them. If they don’t know how to spot infected e-mails or online scams, they could infect your entire network.
2. Create An Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) And Enforce It! An AUP outlines how employees are permitted to use company-owned PCs, devices, software, Internet access and e-mail. Having this type of policy is critical if your employees are using their own devices to access company e-mail and data.
3. Require STRONG passwords throughout your company. Passwords should be at least 8 characters and contain lowercase and uppercase letters, symbols and at least one number.
4. Keep Your Network Up-To-Date. New vulnerabilities are found almost daily on common software programs you use all the time; therefore it’s critical you patch and update systems frequently.
5. Have An Excellent Backup. A quality backup can foil even the most aggressive ransomware attacks, where a hacker locks up your files and holds them ransom until you pay up. If your files are backed up, you don’t have to pay to get your data back.
6. Don’t Allow Employees To Download Unauthorized Software. One of the fastest ways to access your network is by embedding malicious code in seemingly harmless apps.
7. Don’t Scrimp On A Good Firewall. Your firewall is the frontline defense against hackers, so you need a really good one, with monitoring and

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Tech Tip: Task Manager

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Does the Thought of Creating a Mobile App Scare You?

Mobile apps are a huge investment, and not just in terms of money. Your app is a representation of your business and if customers are unsatisfied with it, your reputation will take a huge hit. A poorly implemented application will do more harm than good because bad user reviews and low engagement will hit your revenue hard. Avoid this disastrous outcome by working with the mobile app development team at MXOtech.

Our developers have years of experience creating mobile-optimized apps that are responsive and reliable. We’ll guide you through the entire mobile software development process and deliver an app that meets customer expectations with a beautiful yet intuitive user experience. Click here to learn more.

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MXO Blog Spotlight: A Short History of Microsoft Excel

If you’ve worked in an office or have been in school at any point in the last three decades, chances are you’re quite familiar with Microsoft Excel, but if you’ve been around a longer, you likely know that it wasn’t nearly as popular as its competitors at first.

Check out this short article on the history of the the "Killer App"

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Tech Tip: Ensuring your system is protected

We would recommend RESTARTING your computer ASAP as there is an update for Malwarebytes Anti-Ransomware which needs to be installed.

Follow these steps to ensure a proper RESTART of your computer:

1. Go to the Start Menu on the bottom left hand side of your screen,
2. Click the Power symbol, and click Restart.

Windows does not do a full, clean restart every time you shut down your computer, so we strongly suggest RESTARTING it.

If there is a box that pops up in the bottom right hand side of your screen after logging in to install the Malwarebytes Anti-Ransomware update, then please click Install and let the Anti-Ransomware update run. It should only take about a minute. After that is done, you can proceed with the Windows Update that is prompting you to do.

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Meet the MXOtech ‘Applications’ Team

Some clients tell us our ‘Applications’ team is MXOtech’s hidden gem. Turns out not everyone knows about this other important portion of our business and we would like to reveal this ‘secret’ to more of our colleagues.

The ‘Applications’ team specializes in developing new software solutions – either stand alone or integrated with other software products you have in house – and is comprised of highly experienced Project Managers, Senior Developers, Quality Assurance specialists, Business Analysts and Subject Matter Experts that can guide you on your journey of selecting the right technological solution and to help implement it, thus, bringing your vision to life.

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Customer Spotlight: Greater Chicago Food Depository

MXOtech was able to transform this manual, paper process into a user-friendly iPad app. In addition to capturing the information digitally, the mobile app gives auditors the ability to rate the compliance of the participating pantries/soup kitchens and produce other valuable data analytics and trend comparisons.

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Join Us! An exclusive MXOtech's Webinar will be held on this month on:

Competence Isn’t Enough: Customer Service Requires You to Go Deeper

Most people think they’re good at customer service. But they don’t go deep enough to serve the customer. Now more than ever, under the current conditions, it's imperative to put your customers first. Learn how to ensure that every customer feels satisfied, every time.

Thursday, September 25th at 10:00 AM Click here to register

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"I love to study and learn new things. My passion is working with people and helping them with any kind of problem. I enjoy working on multiple projects at the same time while challenging myself with new technology as often as possible." - Andrii

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This award arrives at a special time for MXO, as we celebrate our 15 year anniversary!

“I feel so blessed to be celebrating 15 years in business and to be honored again this year among the country’s most successful IT companies. I never imagined when I started MXO out of my home back in 2005 that today we would be supporting so many essential Chicago organizations and making dreams come true for our employees. I am also extremely grateful to our partners like Datto, Webroot, ConnectWise, and Nextiva that help us to provide best in class solutions to our clients. MXO is proof that with perseverance and hard work, anything is possible!” - Joanna Sobran

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Cyber Crime Scare Tactics:

It may come as no surprise that cybercriminal activity is on the rise in 2020. With the onset of COVID-19, there were new uncertainties, fears, and knowledge gaps creating new ideas for hackers. Look out for false narratives on websites designed to spread malware.

How do you stay protected? Realize when you're getting comfortable online and providing your personal information too soon. It the message seems suspicious, please reach out to MXOtech and we can help take a look. Please reach out to MXOtech for offers of cyber-security training and ongoing prevention.

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Stay Healthy. Stay Connected. Return Stronger.

Beginning in March, we launched a few routine cultural activities to stay connected during the pandemic stay-at-home order:​

• #MXOfit for team members to share and complete a virtual "Keyboard to 5K Run"
• Daily optional activities like such as group Jack-box gaming, inspirational talks, and Teams meeting dedicated to 10-minute yoga.
• Sending out gift-cards for Amazon movie tickets
• Monthly after work happy hour to bring any kind of drink and chat
• Teams chat rooms dedicated to lunch topics and polls like "Naming my new dog."
• Competitions for team members to post their best at-home work area set-up.
• Posting results and links to "Name your personal theme song"

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"I just celebrated my 10th anniversary with the company! I enjoy working with our clients to execute vital project initiatives to positively impact their business. I often see opportunities before other people are able to identify them. I am not afraid to look through the window of opportunity and reach for the stars." - Toni

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Ergonomics of your workstation

Customizing your home or office set-up may have more benefits than you realize. Conscientious workstation ergonomics improves: focus, comfort, back health, and removes as many strains as possible to keep you on track.

• As your spine is naturally an "S" shape; a lower-back pillow or lower back support goes a long way.
• Both keyboard and mouse should be at elbow height when you are seated for typing.
• The monitor is best positioned an arm's length from your eyes.
• The top of the monitor is best aligned slightly below your eye level (to hold your neck straight.)
• If possible, have all monitors at the same height.

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Future Webinar: Cyber-insurance

Did you know by being a client of MXOtech you get access to discounted Cyber Liability & Cyber Crime Insurance?”

Keep an eye out for an invitation to the upcoming webinar we’re hosting on Cyber Insurance. We’ll uncover some surprising facts you may not realize about what's covered under your current policy. You won’t want to miss it!

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When you return to the office...

Look no further than MXOtech's 45 Point Checklist. This document provides: helpful checklists, tips, industry research, workplace policy templates, and an action plan for a healthy transition.

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• Help Desk Level 2 with two to three years of experience and a passion for customer service.
• Senior Network Engineer with five to seven years of experience performing server migrations, cloud implementations, and complex IT projects.
• Project Manager who knows SCRUM and has a passion for managing enterprise software development projects and leading people.
• UX/UI Designer that makes ideas come to life with beautiful prototypes.
• Application Analyst with a strong desire to manage various applications that run businesses for our SMB clients.

We are reaching out because there are many amazing people have lost their jobs and could use a referral from you. As always, we want candidates that embody the characteristics we value in our culture of customer service and ones that exhibit our five core values: walk with purpose; assume the best intentions; family spirit; let them feel your smile; and sense of urgency.

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