vCTO Secure Blog

vCTO Secure has been serving the Seattle area since 2011, providing IT Support such as technical helpdesk support, computer support, and consulting to small and medium-sized businesses.

Tip of the Week: Five Extremely Useful Email Security Tips

Tip of the Week: Five Extremely Useful Email Security Tips

In business, email is one of the tried and true methods of communication. Unfortunately, there are many out there searching to breach a network, whether it be to deploy malware or lie in wait until they have access and cause havoc from within. Regardless of what strategy hackers and scammers use, it is important that users understand what to do to protect themselves and their organizations’ email. Here are some tips to keep in mind. 

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Tip of the Week: Be Specific in Your Out-of-Office Messages

Tip of the Week: Be Specific in Your Out-of-Office Messages

The out-of-office email is a great tool…provided, that is, that it is used to its full potential. Let’s talk about a simple adjustment you can make to the ones you send to ensure they are much more effective, and much less likely to be ignored as a result.

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Tip of the Week: How to Use the Heat Maps Feature in Excel

Tip of the Week: How to Use the Heat Maps Feature in Excel

Microsoft Excel is a really useful tool for organizing data. Using something called a heat map strategy can help you get more out of the solution. If you actively use spreadsheets in your business to contextualize data, you will find this easy-to-use tip for using heat maps really useful.

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Tip of the Week: Use a Favicon to Consolidate Bookmark Space

Tip of the Week: Use a Favicon to Consolidate Bookmark Space

When you’re using the Internet, how often do you find yourself using so many bookmarks that the bar simply cannot display what you want it to? You can make things a bit easier by saving some space on your bookmark or favorite bar by only showing the sites’ favicons. Don’t know what a favicon is? We’ll cover that too!

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Need to Get Things Done? Try Taking a Power Hour

Need to Get Things Done? Try Taking a Power Hour

If we asked you to identify the one hour of your day when you get the most done, would you be able to tell us? Even more interestingly, do you know how to get the most out of your so-called “power hour?” Let’s take a look at some of the theories about how you can make the most out of your most productive time in the workplace.

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Tip of the Week: Saving Files from the Internet as PDFs

Tip of the Week: Saving Files from the Internet as PDFs

Sometimes you will find something on the Internet and think, “Wow, I’d love to save this, but I also love PDFs.” Well, for instances like this, there are features built into your web browser that allow you to do just that! Let’s go over how you can save a web page or image as a PDF directly from your browser.

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Is Standing During the Workday as Beneficial as You’ve Heard?

Is Standing During the Workday as Beneficial as You’ve Heard?

Standing desks have become quite popular, especially as people grow more health-conscious post-pandemic. These desks are a little on the pricey side, so you might be wondering if they are really worth the investment. Can the benefits make implementation worthwhile for standing desks? The answer might surprise you.

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Tip of the Week: Password Protect Your Files

Tip of the Week: Password Protect Your Files

Have you ever thought about protecting a specific file or folder on your computer? You could always hide the file, but this isn’t doing much to protect it from anyone who has access to your computer and its settings. Sometimes it takes a stronger approach. Windows has some basic file encryption functionality built into it, so let’s go over how you can use it to protect a specific file or folder on your computer!

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Hide Your Files in Windows 10

Hide Your Files in Windows 10

Is your desktop littered with random files or folders that need to be organized? Do you have a handful of folders that you absolutely need but would prefer if they weren’t out in the open all the time? Windows has built-in functionality that lets you hide certain folders from view, if you want, and it’s a great way to clean up your desktop. Let’s get into how you can hide these folders from your desktop or Documents view.

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Tip of the Week: Tips to Help You Manage Your Inbox

Tip of the Week: Tips to Help You Manage Your Inbox

Managing your email can be challenging, especially if you are a business owner. We’re sure you get countless emails on a day-to-day basis, and it can be difficult to assign them priority or triage them accordingly. All of this leads to one messy inbox that can get in the way when you need simplicity most. How can you make sure your inbox’s organization is not holding you back from achieving maximum productivity?

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3 Tips for Choosing the Right Office Technology

3 Tips for Choosing the Right Office Technology

Getting the right technology for your business can be confusing and downright frustrating if you don’t know what you are looking for. After all, technology is supposed to make life easier and keep your business more efficient and organized. With so many rapidly evolving technologies now available, it can be hard to choose which to deploy inside your business. Today, we’ll go through three tips that can help you identify and deploy the technology that will work for you.

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Tip of the Week: 5 Tips to Help You Keep Your Computer in Good Shape

Tip of the Week: 5 Tips to Help You Keep Your Computer in Good Shape

The modern computer is a marvel, but they can be quite the investment. It stands to reason that when you purchase new hardware—whether it be for yourself or your business—that you should want it to last as long as possible. For this week’s tip, we wanted to go through five things you can do to protect your computer from wear and tear. 

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Tip of the Week: Switching Your Default Android Browser

Tip of the Week: Switching Your Default Android Browser

Chances are that, if you are a user of an Android device, you prefer Google Chrome as your mobile web browser. However, did you know that you can change your default web browser to a different one? All you have to do is know which browsers are available to use; then all it takes is a quick settings adjustment!

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Best to Build Security Awareness Early

Best to Build Security Awareness Early

News flash, cybersecurity is pretty important, and the Internet is chock-full of threats that you need to take seriously. However, with today’s youth practically growing up connected to the Internet, it becomes even more important than ever to ensure that they are aware of cybersecurity best practices early in their lives. To this end, Google has created a platform called the Be Internet Awesome initiative.

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Tip of the Week: Use Dark Mode to Go Easy on your Eyes

Tip of the Week: Use Dark Mode to Go Easy on your Eyes

Staring at a bright computer screen all day can bother your eyes, especially if it’s done on a routine basis. We know that staying away from computers and devices is something that we cannot really get away from in the business environment, but you can take steps to make it more manageable and easier on your eyes through the use of Dark Mode.

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Technology Protection Tips for Holiday Travelers

Technology Protection Tips for Holiday Travelers

Traveling is one way that many of us are attempting to feel less isolated and alone during the COVID-19 pandemic, but a certain level of caution must be exercised when it comes to the technology we use while we travel. Here are some ways you can keep your technology safe and in check while traveling this holiday season.

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Keyboard Shortcuts to Help You Excel in Microsoft Excel

Keyboard Shortcuts to Help You Excel in Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Excel is a great tool to organize data into spreadsheets, but it’s kind of a tricky beast to master. As is the case with most software programs, you can add an extra level of mastery to your skillset by having a full understanding of keyboard shortcuts. We’ve listed some of the most common shortcuts that you might use during your day-to-day duties in Microsoft Excel.

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Tip of the Week: Setting Up ClickLock in Windows

Tip of the Week: Setting Up ClickLock in Windows

The laptop has been gradually seeing a boom in the office, replacing the desktop for a more portable option for meetings and remote work. Long gone are the days where the laptop feels like a more expensive, less capable option. They do have their detriments, though. One of the most complained about parts of using a laptop is the trackpad. They’ve added features and improved materials over the years, but the overall experience of using a trackpad hasn’t changed very much for over a decade.

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Best Practices for Keeping Your Passwords Secure, Yet Memorable

Best Practices for Keeping Your Passwords Secure, Yet Memorable

As the preeminent form of security online, passwords are currently the most important frontline defense to get right in your organization. However, many people often cut corners with their passwords to ensure they don’t forget them, recycling them across their many accounts. Let’s go over a few ways to help your team create secure passwords that they can commit to memory without shortchanging their efficacy.

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Tip of the Week: Let Others Use Your Android Device with Guest Mode

Tip of the Week: Let Others Use Your Android Device with Guest Mode

While loaning out your mobile device probably isn’t something you’re particularly keen to do right now, this may have been the case even before there were health concerns involved. After all, your phone really is just a little package of your personal data. What you may not have known, however, is that Android has had a feature—Android Guest Mode—that can help protect you since Android 5.0 Lollipop came out in 2014.

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Dark Web Monitoring

When you visit the Internet, you are more than likely sticking to the pages that can be accessed by typing an address into your browser, or by clicking on a link in a search result.

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With human error causing over 92% of data breaches, we understand the importance of focusing on the weakest link by empowering employees through self-improvement, personal protection, and engaging training that is relate-able, not demeaning.

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