Author Archive


How to Choose the Right Managed IT Provider

March 27, 2017

Keeping your data secure is first and foremost on the minds of most organizations in 2017. Being able to secure your internal network and all the data that it holds is a major concern, and for good reason. The expense of recovering from a data breach, the potential for lawsuits, not to mention the loss of trust you will experience from your clients can be devastating. If you have been holding off on revamping your firm’s IT security for financial reasons, consider that the cost of preventing disaster is nothing compared to what it will take to clean it up.

 

Cybersecurity: What You Need to Know

Cybersecurity these days is a moving target. It is constantly evolving to meet the needs of increasingly insidious and clever threats. By gaining a clear understanding of the various elements involved, you will be better able to determine and deploy the best solutions for your firm. The types of security systems you should have in place include:

  • Infrastructure: your IT infrastructure includes your network and all the devices it connects to, like routers, modems, switches, and firewalls.
  • Endpoint: endpoint security has to do with the endpoints of your data, which include your servers, computer workstations, mobile devices, and laptops.
  • Data: securing your data involved protecting your stored data, including files, documents, messaging, and storage drives.
  • Physical: a more tangible aspect of security, involving access to your physical location, offices, and any IT rooms that house your infrastructure.
  • User: this refers to your workforce, as well as anybody who has access to your network, the security of their email, their passwords, and all their activity within the network.

A well-designed security protocol will require adopting best practice protocols to each of these separate areas. By overlooking any small detail, your firm could be left open to attack.

 

A Word about Social Engineering

One of the most common threats nowadays is called social engineering, which is defined as the act of coercing an individual into divulging personal information such as passwords. This gives cyber-thieves easy and instant access to your system. No matter how secure you think your systems are, if the threat originates from within, it is difficult to detect. Establish a clear security protocol and train everybody in your firm to recognize an attempt at social engineering – from the partners right on down to reception. Nobody should be exempt, as it can happen to anybody.

 

Embracing Change is Necessary

When you are first setting up a new security protocol, you may experience some resistance. Each of these necessary changes will require an altered approach to the way things are done, and you might hear protests like “this isn’t good for my workflow,” or “it’s going to slow me down.” These are all common responses, and in reality, they may be within their rights to express their concerns. However, the benefit of an enhanced security protocol far outweighs the alternative. Additionally, newer security products are much more nimble, and provide better integration with a range of platforms, making them much less cumbersome in terms of system performance. Hopefully, their protests will be short-lived.

Some of the changes you might implement include two-factor authentication, which requires users to sign in with a password, and then enter a code that is sent to their email or mobile device to confirm their identity. This may initially slow down the access, but it provides a robust layer of security that is very difficult to breach.

The transition might not be easy, and you won’t get everybody on board immediately. Remaining firm in your resolve, and educating your workforce as to the advantages while helping them through the change may take a little patience. The IT consultancy or firm that you hire to implement the new security protocols may be able to help you through this, providing training, and support along with a little enlightening technical insight.

 

The Value of Using a Managed Services Provider

Helping you to understand what changes need to be made, and providing support during the implementation phase is a valuable resource that a managed services provider (MSP) provides. An MSP provides all the support you need, whether it be full-service, occasional consulting, or security services support. However, with a widespread and major focus on security issues, many MSPs have rushed to offer security services they may not be fully invested in. Choose your provider carefully, and make sure that all of your security needs are being met.

 

How to Select a Managed Services Provider

Choose an MSP that specializes in security with ties to the cloud. It should be one that offers a range of security solutions to suit your very specific needs. Ensure that they have the appropriate recognized security credentials, and check past client references to establish that their claims are real. Seek out an MSP that is experienced in your industry, and is familiar with compliance standards. They should be able to help you design an end-to-end security policy for your firm, and go on to train your employees in its operation and ongoing deployment. If necessary, check out several firms before you decide. Look for recommendations from colleagues, and do your research. It is really important for your MSP to be a good fit. Once you have established who you want to work with – get to work right away! There is no time like the present, and that holds true for most things, including IT security and finding the right managed services provider.

Virtual Reality (VR) is Changing The Legal Industry

March 22, 2017

While virtual reality (VR) is, for most people, still the stuff of science fiction, it is revolutionizing the way some industries do what they do. In legal practice, it is creating some fascinating scenarios that will soon allow us to dispense with two-dimensional exhibits and animated reenactments, and offer a more immersive and illustrative way in which to prove our cases.

 

Virtual Reality in The Courtroom

Using VR, we can actually place each juror at the scene of an accident, or give them a witness’ point of view of the incident under scrutiny. VR will enable us to take each and every individual involved in the trial process through what happened, with a complete rendering of the sights as well as the sounds that would have occurred. Gone will be voluminous hours arguing distances, descriptions, and sizes of objects, as well as the placement of people at the scene. Minute details can be included, virtually eliminating the witness uncertainty that can often crop up during a trial.

 

Reducing the Cost of E-Discovery

VR could also be used to take depositions, which in situations where distance or scheduling is a factor, could help to advance the proceedings in a much more efficient way compared to telephone, video chats and transcripts. A VR-enabled environment would provide a non-location-specific place for attorneys and witnesses to interact as if they were in the same physical space. This would effectively reduce the cost of interviews, depositions and discovery, something that should be of great concern to both attorney and client.

 

Barriers to Wider Adoption of VR

Though it all sounds great, one of the biggest barriers we will need to navigate will be found within the legal system itself. There are technical issues that must be addressed; though the technology is widely available, no firms currently have a dedicated VR space where they can conduct business in this manner. There is also the ethical argument, which involves privacy and accuracy of the VR depiction – imagine if the prosecution provided their rendering, but the defense could not afford a similar tool. The VR recreation may then take on a slant that puts the defense team at a disadvantage. More predominantly, however, we are going to find a widespread resistance to the change, as anything to do with such a radical innovation and paradigm shift will be suspect. Before any change can happen that allows a wider adoption of VR technology to enter the judiciary process, a few highly sensitive issues will need to be addressed:

 

Time

Time and effort must be put into convincing judges to allow VR into the courtroom. The laws governing civil procedure will need to be amended in order to adopt, as this is a significant step forward in the milieu of electronic discovery.

 

Cost of Infrastructure

Initially, there will be a cost barrier, and considerable investment must be made on the part of the public courts as well as in law practice. Infrastructure must be established, which includes 360˚ cameras as well as software and hardware to capture and edit the results.

 

Physical and Health Considerations

Certain people may also have physical limitations when it comes to accessing VR technology. Some have reported motion sickness while wearing the headsets, and others are at risk for sensory overload, a situation that may be a problem for individuals who suffer from anxiety disorders, autism, epilepsy, or other conditions that are neurological in nature. All of these points will need to be considered and solved before the judicial system will even consider the use of VR in court.

 

Virtual Reality is Here to Stay

Outside of the legal field, many industries have embraced VR technology to advance their research as well as service delivery. Healthcare, for example, has adopted VR widely, both for planning out complex surgeries and to train new doctors and first responders without risk. VR has been used successfully as an alternative to anesthesia, and the results it has already delivered in psychiatry and psychology is nothing short of ground-breaking. The military uses it for mission simulations, projecting potential scenarios to establish risk, and in education it has become a way for children to immerse themselves in new places, and understand new concepts without ever leaving the classroom. With such limitless potential on the horizon, it is just a matter of time before the legal profession gets on board as well. The possibilities are, you could say, virtually endless.

Beyond PDF Basics For Legal Staff

March 22, 2017

At the rate of speed the world moves these days, the legal profession needs to do all it can to highlight and enhance efficiency. Nowhere is it more of an issue than it is in the process of sharing, and collaborating on documents, whether that might be for proofreading, editing, or searching for information within a document.

 

Manipulate Your PDF Files

We are all quite familiar with the PDF, or portable document format. The PDF has largely replaced paper and other forms of digital document, due to its ability to hold formatting, preserve fonts, and graphics. So assuming we are all good with the fundamentals of PDFs, let’s look at some tips on how to go beyond the basics:

 

Convert Documents with Ease

There is a widespread frustration in the legal world about all the time spent converting PDFs back to Word files, for example. PDF document converter allows you to convert the PDF to the document format of your choice so that you don’t have to start over from scratch, helping you get your edits done and get on with it faster than ever before. You can do this through the ‘save as’ or the ‘export’ command under the file menu.

 

Redact Sensitive Information

In a PDF, there is actually a redaction tool that you can use to cover up confidential information. Tip: always make sure you save a clean, un-redacted copy of the original PDF. In cases where your claim of privilege is deemed improper, you will need an unmarked copy.

 

Create Forms

PDF forms can significantly reduce your flow of paperwork. Evidence, opinions, statements, and other legal documents can be converted into a fillable, printable form, from which the data received can be exported into other document formats, like Excel, for example. This has the effect of speeding up communication flows, and it reduces the incidence of errors, saving time, money, and frustration in the long run.

 

Certificate-Based Signatures

Picture this: you are sitting in an airport about to leave the country, and a colleague emails you a document that needs a signature right away. You have no access to a printer, scanner or fax machine, but this is a time-critical matter that nobody else can handle. Within the PDF software lies the ability to sign with a digital signature, basically an ID which corresponds to a signature on a physical document. It is completely secure, too: if any changes are made to the document after you sign, your signature becomes invalid. When creating your signature, you can utilize an existing digital ID, or create a unique one. You can find signature and security options under the ‘advanced’ file menu.

 

Protection Against Unauthorized Access

PDF files are far more secure than paper documents, but only if you apply a layer of security to them. To this end, you can password-protect your PDF documents so that they don’t fall into the wrong hands. This would be especially helpful if you are sending documents to a client but aren’t sure whether their computer is for their use only. The only trouble you might run into with this is if the form of encryption you are using is not recognized by another’s older version of the software. Fortunately, that is an easy fix – PDF is free for all to download and use.

 

These are just some of the ways you can venture beyond the PDF basics of viewing and saving, and will hopefully bring you new ways to improve your legal document workflow and security.

Remote Access Security Matters Today More Than Ever

March 22, 2017

Mobile accessibility has been changing the way everybody in the world works, and the legal field is no exception. These days, everybody is expected to work on the go; work hours, work days and even where you get the work done is in a state of flux. Technology has given us the ability to step away from our desks, and many firms are taking advantage of the ability to work remotely. The resistance to telecommuting that we have seen in previous years has given way to a new acceptance, driven primarily by advances in connectivity and network access, as well as more reliable and secure cloud storage and communications.

 

The many benefits of working remotely

Working remotely has a range of benefits to the legal professional. It allows you to spend more time with your loved ones, less time in your car commuting to and from the office, and if a client has an issue they need addressed, you can respond immediately via your mobile device. In transit, you can stay connected to your email and other forms of messaging, and if you need to pull and all-nighter, you can connect to your office network from home to access all the information you need. The American Bar Association estimates that lawyers spend about a quarter of their time working remotely, and as the years go by, more client and internal functions are taking place online. From a client standpoint, this could be through secure client portals, from which they can view and print documents for signature. From the attorney’s perspective, this could be cloud access to case documentation, calendars, schedules, invoicing and CRMs, all of which are usually deployed through a cloud service, like Office 365. This allows lawyers and other legal professionals the ability to work with clients on a global scale, but with added access comes the very real and present risk of a security breach.

 

Security always matters

Inherent with the enhanced access implied by working remotely comes the potential for lapses in security. Law firms are among the top ten targets for cyber-thieves, putting them at a heightened risk for a malware, ransomware or DDoS attack. Law firms can become a target due to the highly sensitive information they administrate. Everything from attorney-client privileged communication, property information, intellectual property, payment and banking information, and various personal metrics could be at risk. As we move towards a future in which remote working will be ever more prevalent, here are some tips to keep your firm secure in the face of it all:

 

Security Tip #1: Put some time and attention into your infrastructure

Hire an IT security firm or specialist to come in and assess your IT infrastructure. If you are operating on an older operating system or network, it may be time to upgrade. Even if you have an up-to-date system, chances are you may be overlooking some simple solutions that can go a long way to protecting the integrity of your confidential information. Your website security is also a key issue. Distributed denial of service attacks (DDoS) can take down your system quickly, flooding your network with malicious traffic that will effectively overload your servers. Once your defenses are down, access can be gained. Another common way of gaining entry is through social engineering practices, which target your employees directly, coercing them to click on ads or download attachments from emails that may contain malicious content. Train your entire workforce to recognize these tactics, and have your IT security consultant set up failsafe protocols that will protect your data, both incoming and outgoing.

 

Security Tip #2: Migrate Systems to the Cloud

The cloud is one of the most flexible ways to store and absorb large volumes of data. The security features available for cloud networks are among the most robust available; deployed invisibly over the network, there is no extra hardware to install, and they are constantly updated to protect you from the latest threats. Cloud servers are also highly scalable, allowing you the capacity to store huge amounts of data without the extra expense of physical servers and security. While working offsite, use a virtual personal network (VPN) to access sensitive information, and always work within the confines of your office network.

 

Security Tip #3: Change your passwords frequently

Your password security is of utmost importance, especially in the case of remote access. It is possible to automate this process, so that the system prompts each user to change their password every 30 days, or within another pre-determined timeframe. This goes for secure client portals as well. Employ a two-factor authentication process to add another layer of security.

 

Security Tip #4: Keep all software and operating systems updated

The changes to current cyber-threats are in a constant state of flux, so it is absolutely imperative that you keep all systems up to date. Most software these days is administered by a license, which should update your software automatically. This will protect you from the latest threats by providing you with new patches as they become available. A good example of how an oversight such as this became front page news is Mossack Fonseca, the company responsible for the release of the Panama Papers. The firm did not update their systems, which included their ‘secure’ client portal, and their website. Through this vulnerability, cyber-thieves gained access to millions of emails, as well as other confidential files and documents. A simple update could have avoided this calamity, which caused major problems for many of their clients, and destroyed their business reputation in the process.

 

Security Tip #5: Make sure all mobile devices are secure

We all use our smartphones to access correspondence, documents, and whatever else our technology will allow. Lawyers are no different, with more than 90% reporting that they accessed information on an unsecure, unencrypted device. By using unsecured, unencrypted devices, laptops and computers, it is next to impossible to manage and control what information is accessed, and by whom. Establish clear protocols to ensure that your firm’s data can only be viewed on secure, approved devices. As time goes by, remote connectivity and telecommuting will become more prevalent in the legal profession. Don’t make the mistake of skimping on security just for the convenience of staying connected. Put the appropriate measures in place so that your client’s data is always protected, and your firm secure from any form of cyber-attack.

Using Evernote in Your Law Practice

March 22, 2017

In today’s fast-paced legal landscape, every moment counts. Everything in your world is moving target: marketing, client acquisition, case load management, research, admin, invoicing, and the list goes on. In order to manage all these elements effectively, you need a way to collect, store, organize and access your data. Articles, email correspondence, collaborative documents, drafts, briefs, and more, it piles up pretty quickly. Ideally, you need a single solution that helps you manage all of these things, something that gives you the ability to annotate documents, apply a digital signature, and share information with your colleagues, and more. The good news is that all things can be accomplished with one tool. It’s called Evernote, and you need this.

Evernote is a free, cloud-based productivity application, and it is available on all mobile and platforms, although you can also access it through a browser on your desktop. Evernote is also available for Apple Watch and Android Wear, if you’re a wearables kind of person. Since it is cloud-based, all of your devices are synched, so it doesn’t matter where you’re working, you can always access your files. Start with the free version, and if you find you’re needing more options, there are premium plans available. Try it and you’ll probably agree – it’s a small price to pay for being awesome.

Evernote can be extremely valuable for attorneys. In it, you can keep your case research, admin data, archive your emails, file just about any kind of document, create to-do lists, and more. It is flexible enough for you to tailor it to your own personal workflow, and you’ll soon find it to be an invaluable tool at the office, in the courtroom, or on the go.

There is even an e-book dedicated to using Evernote as a law practice tool. In it, the authors outline tips, shortcuts, and essential features to help you get the most value from it.

Here are some of the things Evernote can help with:

Build your own legal research archive

Evernote has a web clipper that allows you to save and organize articles you find on the internet. For your desktop, all you need is the webclipper extension, which installs directly onto most popular web browsers. Text, images, articles and more can be saved directly to the application, where you can then file them into sub categories or subject matter groups (called notebooks) which can then be tagged however you see fit, whether that be case numbers, jurisdiction, or whatever makes sense to you. That way, whenever you need to reference an article, all you will have to do is enter the appropriate search term and up it comes. You will essentially be holding your entire catalog case and law library in the palm of your hand.

Forward and archive your email

Delegate your important incoming email directly to Evernote using your own Evernote email address (premium feature). In Gmail, you can use webclipper, or install the extension for Outlook (2010 and 2013 versions).

Take and save searchable meeting notes

Open a new note with one click, even if you are off-line. Evernote auto-saves and synchs the note to all your devices as soon as you re-connect. Even handwritten notes can be searchable in Evernote: simply take a photo and upload directly to your account. Evernote saves it as a PDF, which then becomes searchable.

Store and file business cards

What happens to all those business cards you collect? Do they just pile up on your desk or in your pocket until you have the time to enter them? Evernote provides an easy solution: simply snap a photo of the card in Evernote, and all the pertinent information is automatically imported into your account, as well as your other contact databases. Evernote even has a nifty LinkedIn feature: click on a card and it will locate your contact on LinkedIn and make a connect request.

These are just a few of the things Evernote can do for you and your legal practice. If you’re looking for ways to make better use of your time and cut down on the need for support staff, Evernote might be just the thing to help you make that happen. Check out the e-book here.

5 Quick Tips to Improve Attorney Productivity

March 22, 2017

If you are an attorney, you know how important time management is. Facing the potential of a 12-to-16-hour day every day will eventually catch up to you, impacting your health, wealth and happiness. Learning how to manage your time effectively will help you work smarter, not harder. With that in mind, here are some handy time-management tips that you can put into practice today, so you can get back to having a life:

 

  1. Be your own personal assistant: organize your tasks.

Don’t fly by the seat of your pants. Start your day by making a list of what needs to be done. That way you’re not wasting time wondering what to do next. Include things that must be done today as well as long-range tasks. Don’t waste time on things you don’t have to think about, or things your staff can handle. Make your list while you’re having your coffee each morning. It takes no time at all, and you’ll have the tools you need to stay focused and carry on.

 

  1. Break your list into segments

Look at everything on your list, and make note of the things that you absolutely must handle yourself. As for the rest, delegate, hand-off, and outsource. Even if you’re one of those perfectionists who tend to think that nobody can do what you do, try to humble yourself for a moment, and realize that some things can be accomplished just as well by somebody else. Or if you have a hard time being humble, consider that you might be far too important to be handling trivial tasks, and let it go.

 

  1. Get some exercise

Exercise not only pumps up your energy and keeps you going longer, but it is good for the heart and your mind as well. Being stuck behind a desk isn’t doing you any justice, and the long-term negative effects might actually be causing you harm. If possible, move about as you work. Take phone calls while you are walking, or turn a meeting into a walk-and-talk. You’ll be making the most out of your time and getting in some exercise and fresh scenery at the same time. It’s also never a bad idea to invest in a standing desk or vari-desk so that you aren’t rooted to one place all day.

 

  1. Consider hiring a free-lancer or a temp

Even if your budget does not allow for a full-time support staff, there are plenty of part-time options out there to help you get the job done. This could be a contract attorney, or a temporary legal assistant or paralegal. You might also consider hiring a virtual paralegal, most of whom work on an hourly or project basis.

 

  1. Stop worrying about money

It’s easy to get distracted by the competition. Do yourself a favor – stop focusing on what others are doing and get back to work. That’s where the money is going to come from, in the end. If you set realistic targets, follow a sound business development plan, and maximize the time you spend on work related tasks, results will follow – and so will the income.

The New Cellular LTE-U Network and What it Means For You

March 3, 2017

A new technology is set to disrupt the mobile data landscape this spring, and many cell service carriers plan to support it. Dubbed LTE-U, short for LTE-Unlicensed, it is a variation on the current LTE 4G protocol that could possibly provide mobile customers with a faster, more efficient user experience. There is another side to the coin, however, as the nation’s top providers continue to fight for control of mobile frequencies.

 

Is LTE-U good news or bad news?  |  Like other, current communications technology, LTE-U allows users to get online using a cellular connection. The controversy arises from the fact that LTE-U will share frequency bands with a range of devices, including Bluetooth enabled headphones and WiFi routers. With mobile signals now leveraging additional bandwidth on these common channels, there is a potential that data speeds will increase significantly, which is generally good news for both provider and consumer.

 

FCC approves LTE-U as of February 2017  |  Following a round of extensive testing, the FCC has concluded that LTE-U and WiFi can indeed coexist. As of mid-February 2017, the commission has gone on to approve the manufacture and sale of LTE-U enabled devices, some of which should be appearing in the very near future. In the wake of this decision, many of the bigger providers, including T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T, will be launching a new range of compatible products within the next few months.

 

The LTE-U controversy  |  The landmark decision follows a lengthy debate within regulatory bodies about the future of WiFi in an LTE-U enabled reality. Cable carriers in particular are clashing with cellular providers over the potential changes, fearing that increased data traffic will interfere with other devices on the network; devices such as WiFi routers, and the gamut of Iot smart devices. Some consumer advocates are convinced that LTE-U will threaten urban WiFi hotspot networks, and have lobbied the FCC to look more closely at the potential impact of its adoption. Their primary concern is that the FCC has compromised on an issue that will require mobile carriers to share data signals with WiFi signals, but only in locations where the WiFi signal is strong. Currently, the answer to the question of whether LTE-U will be helpful or harmful remains to be seen.

Outlook Tips Review, Delay Delivery & Mail Block

February 20, 2017

For the busy worker on the go, effective communication can become a task in itself. These tips & tricks for Outlook 2016 will help to make the process more seamless.

MailSortr While there are already email options such as folders and “Conversations” to sort out important messages that have lots of replies, MailSortr gives Outlook users the option of seeing the most imperative messages first. The third-party Outlook add-on also comes in handy for automatically filing messages into specified folders via Quick Steps.

Delay Delivery If you already know that you will not be able to respond to a message immediately or want to hold off on sending a message until you have a firm answer, consider utilizing the “Delay Delivery” option to schedule the email for a later time or date. This feature also comes in handy for vital information that has a news embargo on it.

Block It is inevitable that a business contact you may want to hear from will end up pulling you into an email conversation you have no desire to be in. Or, maybe someone gets a hold of your email address and you don’t want to hear from them at all. However, you may want to hear about the topic that this person is discussing ― without him/her involved. The “Ignore” option will allow you to automatically move irrelevant conversations to the “Deleted Items” folder. The “Mute” option will allow you to ignore conversations until you’re ready to read them, without the constant alerts popping up in a similar manner like new messages. The “Remove Thread” buttons is another way to filter out unimportant emails, too.

Quick Parts & Custom Search Folders Save Time in Outlook

February 20, 2017

There are some shortcuts that may make completing a work task easier and others that’ll leave workers breathing a sigh of relief. These Outlook 2016 and Office 365 tips fall into the latter category.

Quick Parts In casual instances, using CTRL + C and CTRL + V come in handy for documents that need to repeat the same instructions or information. However, if this shortcut is used for multiple pieces of text, then a separate document would need to be created in order to keep them in order. With Quick Parts, that separate document is unnecessary. Just highlight whatever text needs to be re-used, select the “Insert” tab, choose “Quick Parts” in the drop down menu, select “Save” and that text will be available in the “Quick Parts” gallery. After it’s saved the first time, simply typing the beginning of the phrase again will notify Outlook, which will suggest the entire text to be inserted again.

Search Folders Similar to most mainstream email sites, there’s usually a search option to look for specific keywords or people. Outlook fine-tunes this option a little more with the “Search Folder” option. This will not only allow an option to filter important emails or those from specific people but also create a custom folder about searches that meet all of this criteria so it doesn’t have to be done on a repeated basis. Just choose “Folder,” then “New Search Folder” and create a new search option.

Encrypted Messages If there is a message that needs to be sent but the recipient needs to understand that this is a private message, this Outlook tool will come in handy. Under the “Trust Center Settings,” choose “File,” then “Options,” then “Trust Center,” then “E-mail Security.” After choosing security options for enabling encryption, digital signing and a digital ID, select a provider for a free email certificate. The only way for the recipient to access the message is with a shared key code.

MS Word Tips For Solo Attorneys & Paralegals

February 20, 2017

If you’ve ever installed a latest software update or bought new software altogether and realized how difficult it is to use, you’re not alone. The idea of workplace productivity is to make everyday tasks quicker and more accurate. If you find yourself spending more time wrestling with software than actually using it there are usually no rules that say you must keep the newer version. Ideally your clients will not care whether you’re using the latest version of Microsoft Office, Google Chrome, etc., they just want the information in a legible, timely manner.

This is one of many ways to make sure your office runs productively. Here are a few more Microsoft Word Hacks…

Version Control Speaking of Microsoft, if you’re a user who has a tough time finding documents saved onto your computer then version control is more than likely an issue. The next time you want to open a document but aren’t sure you want to make changes to the first one, try this idea instead: Chose “File,” then “Open,” then “Recent Documents,” then right click to “Make a Copy.” This way if you change your mind about any new changes, you will always have the original version as a backup.

More Access Use Microsoft Office online to create documents on the go. This way, you will be able to access document from multiple computers instead of having to email the latest version to yourself repeatedly. This also works with OneDrive sync. An online version of a document can also be shared with other users by choosing “File,” “Share” and “Present Online.”

Moving Text Instead of using CTRL + X and CTRL + V to cut and paste text, try the F2 key. On the bottom, left-hand side, text will appear to say “Move where?” Simply move your cursor where you want the text to be relocated to, then click “Enter.” The only downside is this option does not work in earlier versions of MS Word when trying to move text between two documents.

Quick Reference Tools  Instead of finagling back and forth with search engine resources such as Wikipedia, consider the software app option. In Word 2013 & 2016 choose “Insert” at the top, then “Apps for Office” or “Add-ins” tabs and “Wikipedia” to be able to access Wikipedia as a reference.