Newsletter Archives

• Planning for the unexpected

  Posted on March 10, 2025 at 02:41 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  ON SECURITY

  

  By Susan Bradley

  We all have a tendency to take many things for granted.

  We take utilities, such as electricity and water, for granted. We assume fuel will be there on demand. We expect our computers and other devices to turn on every time. We assume that our software will run properly the next time we use it. Then comes the day when one or more of these things are impacted. Are you prepared? What can you do without?

  I’m going to discuss several items of technology that I rely on that suddenly failed last week. For some, I had ready backups. For others, I was reminded that I need to take better steps to have a Plan B.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (22.10.0, 2025-03-10).

  On Security Battery Backup, Disaster Planning, Electricity, Email, Internet, Microsoft 365, Newsletters, Outages, Password management, Patch Lady Posts

• Skype to shut down

  Posted on March 2, 2025 at 03:00 CST by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  On Friday, February 28, Microsoft posted The next chapter: Moving from Skype to Microsoft Teams to its Microsoft 365 blog (recommended reading). There are two important things you need to know.

  First, Skype will be gone sometime in May, including paid plans. Second, Microsoft Teams will be free to all, and those with existing Skype accounts can use those credentials to log in, preserving chats and contacts.

  This was inevitable. Despite owning Skype for 14 years, Microsoft clearly wanted its own collaboration tool to become even more widespread. Zoom is a formidable competitor. Also, Microsoft’s messaging around Teams has been confusing, partially because of the existence of Skype. “Free” may prove compelling.

  Microsoft Microsoft 365, Microsoft News, News, Skype, Teams

• No, Microsoft isn’t stealing your data to feed Copilot

  Posted on December 23, 2024 at 02:44 CST by Peter Deegan • Comment in the Forums

  MICROSOFT 365

  

  By Peter Deegan

  Social media “experts” are touting a false “fix” to stop Microsoft from using your Word, Excel, or PowerPoint files to train Copilot AI. Microsoft has only itself to blame for customers being suspicious.

  According to this rumor, Microsoft quietly turned on a way to scrape Word and Excel documents to train its Copilot AI system. It then suggests a way to “opt out” of this “new” intrusion. Supposedly, disabling the “Connected Services” in modern Office (File | Options | Trust Center | Trust Center Settings | Privacy Options) will stop Microsoft from spying on documents and using them to train Copilot.

  Not true.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.52.0, 2024-12-23).

  Microsoft 365 AI Training, Copilot, Microsoft 365, Model Training, Newsletters, Office

• Choosing the right device

  Posted on December 2, 2024 at 02:42 CST by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  ON SECURITY

  

  By Susan Bradley

  Are you being bombarded from every corner by Black Friday and end-of-year deals — toys to technology?

  Of course you are. It’s that time of year. Whether it’s actual tech toys, smart TVs, PCs, tablets, phones, home tech, or anything else with a chip in it, vendors want to entice you in any way they can.

  Will you succumb? Well, probably — at least a little bit. The more important question is, what should you actually be looking for?

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.49.0, 2024-12-02).

  nt question is, what should you actually be looking for?

  On Security Chromebook, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Surface, Newsletters, Patch Lady Posts, Qualcomm Snapdragon, QuickBooks, Remote Desktop, Windows 365, Windows 365 Link

• A cheaper Microsoft Office

  Posted on September 9, 2024 at 02:45 CDT by Peter Deegan • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 21.37 • 2024-09-09

  MICROSOFT 365

  

  By Peter Deegan

  Are you missing out on a less expensive edition of Microsoft 365?

  There are three Microsoft programs offering up to 30% off Microsoft 365 plans. They are available to a surprisingly large number of people, including many employees, students, teachers, and anyone with a current or past connection with the US military.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.37.0, 2024-09-09).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  Microsoft 365 Discounts, Education, Microsoft 365, Military Appreciation Edition, Newsletters, Project 365, Students, Visio 365, Workplace Discount Program

• What cheeses me off: Microsoft Office edition

  Posted on July 29, 2024 at 02:44 CDT by Peter Deegan • Comment in the Forums

  MICROSOFT 365

  

  By Peter Deegan

  Having endured and written about Microsoft Office for more than two decades, I offer my list of annoyances and timewasters in Microsoft Office, especially Word.

  I came up with my top ten annoyances without breaking a sweat. Some are deliberate choices made by Microsoft to advance its own agenda or save money. Others have appeared over time as Microsoft has ignored the changing reality for its customers.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.31.0, 2024-07-29).

  Microsoft 365 Excel, Microsoft 365, Newsletters, Office, Outlook, Word

• Web-based Microsoft 365 is a win-win for all

  Posted on July 1, 2024 at 02:43 CDT by Ben Myers • Comment in the Forums

  BEN’S WORKSHOP

  

  By Ben Myers

  I never thought I would write a paean to a Microsoft product.

  Whether I pound out an article like this one, respond to emails, prepare invoices for clients, or keep track of sets of information with spreadsheets, I am most productive at the tower computer right here — with its fast multi-core processor, lots of memory, a 27-inch monitor and, most importantly, the best-ever keyboard.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.27.0, 2024-07-01).

  Ben's Workshop Excel, Google Docs, Google Sheets, LibreOffice, Microsoft 365, Microsoft 365 Basic, Newsletters, PowerPoint, Web, Word

• Microsoft and Apple

  Posted on July 1, 2024 at 02:39 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  APPLE

  

  By Susan Bradley

  Microsoft has spent many years, and made huge investments, trying to bring the Apple ecosystem into work environments.

  In 1985, it brought word processing to the Mac. It has provided the means to allow Word and Excel documents to move seamlessly from Windows to macOS. It brought affordable tools to allow small and medium businesses to control and manage iPhones, thus allowing managed service providers to control devices without needing to invest in specific, Apple-centric management tools.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.27.0, 2024-07-01).

  Apple Apple, Business Computing, Email, Intune, Microsoft 365, Newsletters, Security, Smartphones, Word Processing
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