Thursday, November 2, 2017

Top 5 best identity management systems and authentication services in 2017

Businesses rely heavily on technology. Employees use computers, smartphones, tablets and other gadgets on a daily basis to streamline processes, stay productive and communicate with colleagues, while databases store important information about customers and products.

Because of this, effective security is paramount. It’s no longer good enough to put physical security first. Although CCTV cameras and sophisticated door locks will stop intruders from entering your office, a hack into your computer system could spell total disaster and bring your whole firm down.

Managing user identity is one of the most important steps in implementing a cybersecurity strategy. You need to be able to trust the people who have access to valuable business and customer data, all of which would be lucrative to hackers if they were able to gain access.

Identity management systems are a great way to stay ahead of the curve with respect to digital security. They’re not new but they certainly are highly effective. Using these systems, you can see who is accessing content in your system and get information on their motives. You can also set user rights and restrictions. 

But which are the best identity management software and authentication services out there? We’ve picked out five top-notch services that you can’t go wrong with.

If you run a large-scale enterprise with a ton of digital assets, then you ought to check out DigitalPersona from Crossmatch. Used widely across the globe and adopted by companies like RBS, this system lets you set smart authentication procedures for users. 

The software analyses risks posed to your company and aims to give you a tailored approach to cybersecurity. There are multiple authentication methods to choose from, such as biometrics, tokens, pins, SAML and phones. It’s easy to set these up, and you should have a more secure system in place within no time.

What’s also nifty is the fact that you can add more applications and changes over time, so you don’t have to worry about finding the perfect method straight away. As well as this, the software offers added protection for privileged and important users. This is sophisticated technology and is targeted at firms with significant security budgets.

AuthAnvil is available on the web, Mac, Windows, iOS and Android applications, but whatever platform you’re looking at, the basic aim is the same – to protect your precious data. The company recognises that password-related breaches are the biggest cause of data loss and has come up with a solution.

The system lets you protect company data by restricting content employees can access and ensuring that only trusted parties can use sensitive apps. For instance, you could use AuthAnvil to give managers direct control of internal company and customer data, as opposed to general employees.

As well as boasting integrated identity and access management solutions, the software also provides multi-factor authentication, single sign-on, password automation, identity-as-a-service and credentials management. These are all highly effective features.

OneLogin is a cloud-based authentication system that makes it easier for firms to secure their digital assets and users. It can handle multiple applications at once and has single sign-on capabilities. 

The system is perfect for all businesses, regardless of industry sector, and it can work with both internal and public applications. Features include access request management, account management, compliance regulation, password management, user monitoring and role management. 

Once you purchase the software, the support doesn’t stop. You can access documentation, webinars and online chats to better understand and get the most out of OneLogin. There’s also 24/7 tech support through the company website, so you can always ask a question if you get stuck.

Dodgy password management is often the culprit when it comes to data breaches, although Dashlane is looking to solve this. It’s a password vaulting service that will protect your company’s data and ensure your cybersecurity habits are always kept on the straight and narrow.

The system prides itself on simplicity. You aren’t expected to know every single thing about technology and security to be able to use it. It’s been built with AES 256-bit encryption, and semantic technology also plays a big role in the mechanics system. There’s a dedicated engine for this, which works towards fast login speeds and auto-fill forms across a variety of web applications.

It’s a unified platform, meaning it can work across Windows, Mac, iOS and Android – all the platforms you're likely use. And if you're a smaller business, there is a limited free version that may just be enough.

PortalGuard combines important authentication procedures and password management capabilities within one convenient portal. 

The software is compatible with Mac, Windows, iOS, cloud tools and web browsers, and it places a premium on ease-of-use. While it’s not the most powerful system out there by any means, many users will appreciate having things kept simple, and benefiting from their own custom-branded login portal.

What’s also neat is that when it comes to trying out the service before you commit to purchasing, you can avail yourself of a free interactive trial, or alternatively request a live demo from the company.



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Microsoft bolsters Office 365 for businesses with a trio of new apps

Microsoft has announced that three new apps are now available for Office 365 Business Premium, as well as Microsoft 365 Business, the latter of which has moved out of testing and is now available to everyone.

The three new business apps in question are Microsoft Connections, Microsoft Listings and Microsoft Invoicing.

Connections facilitates the management of email marketing campaigns, and Listings pertains to managing online listings to better build brand visibility, with Invoicing allowing you to more easily take care of payment and invoicing matters.

Business boons

As mentioned, these fresh app offerings are available to Office 365 Business Premium users in the UK, US and Canada, along with those who have just adopted Microsoft 365 Business as it hits general availability.

Microsoft 365 Business comprises of the Office 365 suite combined with Windows 10 alongside various security and mobile device management features. It’s aimed at SMBs with up to 300 staff members.

Microsoft further mentioned that a new app to help front-line workers manage their daily tasks, by the name of StaffHub, is also included in both of the above products.

The software giant also has another spin on its Microsoft 365 product, namely Microsoft 365 Enterprise, which combines Windows 10 Enterprise with Office 365 Enterprise, and also throws in its Enterprise Mobility + Security suite.



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Wednesday, November 1, 2017

The best free software for NaNoWriMo 2017

It's the first day of November, which means writers worldwide are dusting off their keyboards for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). This annual event challenges writers to produce a 50,000 word mini-novel in just 30 days.

NaNoWriMo is a test of grit, willpower and creativity, and if you're tackling it this month, you'll be relieved to know you're not alone with a blank text document; there's an array of free software that can help you manage your time, stay on track, and refine your writing as you go.

We've gathered a set of essential tools that will make NaNoWriMo more manageable, in the order in which you'll need them. On your marks...

1. FreeMind

Start on the right foot and keep organized with a speedy planning tool

There are dozens of ways to plan a novel and keep your thoughts in order while writing, but if you’re a visual thinker then take a look at FreeMind – a free mind-mapping tool that helps you develop, expand and sort concepts.

FreeMind's frill-free interface means won’t have to sink a lot of your precious NaNoWriMo time into mastering complex controls, and your diagrams can be as simple or complex as you like.

Alternatively, you might like to use a spreadsheet tool like LibreOffice Calc to get a ‘god’s eye’ overview of each event in your novel and help you see how they fit together. It’s the method JK Rowling used when planning the Harry Potter series (albeit on a screen rather than paper). 

2. Evernote

Keep your resources in one place and access them any time, anywhere

Evernote provides a handy way to categorize ideas, character notes and other snippets during the planning stage, but it’s a great way to bookmark links, articles or other resources during the writing process.

Like Dropbox, Evernote is available for just about every operating system, making it a great choice for working on the move. All your notes are synced to the cloud automatically, so you can access them on any device with an internet connection.

3. FocusWriter and NovProg

Avoid distractions and keep track of your daily progress

Full-fat word processors like Microsoft Word, Pages and LibreOffiec Writer are great for most writing tasks, but for NaNoWriMo, all their formatting tools and other options are just an unnecessary barrier between your brain and the page. FocusWriter is a frill-free writing app that strips away all distractions so your novel gets your full attention. Moving your mouse to the edge of the screen reveals a carefully curated set of tools to help you stay productive, including a word count, timers and alarms, and a spell-checker.

NovProg, from the same developer, is designed specifically for tracking your progress during NaNoWriMo. It plots your progress against your goals, and presents the results in a handy graphical format.

Before you start with FocusWriter, make sure you’ve activated the auto-save option. FocusWriter itself is stable and reliable, but you never know when a hardware accident or other disaster might befall your work in progress. More on that in a moment.

4. Dropbox

Back up your work online to avoid catastrophic accidents

Losing work to a hardware or software fault during NaNoWriMo could be disastrous, so we strongly advise backing up your manuscript to the cloud.

Any cloud storage service will serve you well, but Dropbox’s generous free storage allowance and cross-platform support make it a particularly good choice. Because it’s compatible with so many devices, you can open your novel anywhere and use any spare moments to jot down a few extra words.

For peace of mind, we recommend keeping multiple backups of your work in different locations

5. Grammarly

A helping hand with editing your NaNoWriMo manuscript

NaNoWriMo is all about powering through and getting a first draft down as quickly as possible, so some grammatical errors are par for the course. Grammarly is available as a free extension for Firefox, Edge, Safari and Chrome (plus other Chromium-based browsers like Vivaldi) that detects common errors and suggests corrections. You can use it when writing online, or copy and paste parts of your manuscript to analyze them. 

If you want to check your work on your desktop, Grammarly Premium analyzes text in native desktop apps. In addition to spelling and grammar, it also hunts down issues with sentence structure and style to help improve your work. A monthly subscription costs US$29.99 (about £20/AU$40), so give the free browser extension a try before investing.

Autocrit is a similar app designed specifically for novelists. Rather than checking your spelling and grammar, it helps you identify issues with pacing, repetition and use of unnecessary filler words. Unlike Grammarly there’s no free version of Autocrit, but pasting a scene or two into the online demo tool will give you an idea of the results you can expect.



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Samsung now offers an Enterprise Edition of the Note 8 for business

 The push to let employees bring their own devices to work has been underway for some time now — in fact, it’s a big part of what ultimately doomed enterprise-focused hardware companies like BlackBerry. Samsung’s been walking the line for a while as well, rolling out enterprise features like Knox security for its consumer handsets, along with accessories like DeX, designed… Read More

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The best free software for NaNoWriMo

It's the first day of November, which means writers worldwide are dusting off their keyboards for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). This annual event challenges writers to produce a 50,000 word mini-novel in just 30 days.

NaNoWriMo is a test of grit, willpower and creativity, and if you're tackling it this month, you'll be relieved to know you're not alone with a blank text document; there's an array of free software that can help you manage your time, stay on track, and refine your writing as you go.

We've gathered a set of essential tools that will make NaNoWriMo more manageable, in the order in which you'll need them. On your marks...

1. FreeMind

Start on the right foot and keep organized with a speedy planning tool

There are dozens of ways to plan a novel and keep your thoughts in order while writing, but if you’re a visual thinker then take a look at FreeMind – a free mind-mapping tool that helps you develop, expand and sort concepts.

FreeMind's frill-free interface means won’t have to sink a lot of your precious NaNoWriMo time into mastering complex controls, and your diagrams can be as simple or complex as you like.

Alternatively, you might like to use a spreadsheet tool like LibreOffice Calc to get a ‘god’s eye’ overview of each event in your novel and help you see how they fit together. It’s the method JK Rowling used when planning the Harry Potter series (albeit on a screen rather than paper). 

2. Evernote

Keep your resources in one place and access them any time, anywhere

Evernote provides a handy way to categorize ideas, character notes and other snippets during the planning stage, but it’s a great way to bookmark links, articles or other resources during the writing process.

Like Dropbox, Evernote is available for just about every operating system, making it a great choice for working on the move. All your notes are synced to the cloud automatically, so you can access them on any device with an internet connection.

3. FocusWriter and NovProg

Avoid distractions and keep track of your daily progress

Full-fat word processors like Microsoft Word, Pages and LibreOffiec Writer are great for most writing tasks, but for NaNoWriMo, all their formatting tools and other options are just an unnecessary barrier between your brain and the page. FocusWriter is a frill-free writing app that strips away all distractions so your novel gets your full attention. Moving your mouse to the edge of the screen reveals a carefully curated set of tools to help you stay productive, including a word count, timers and alarms, and a spell-checker.

NovProg, from the same developer, is designed specifically for tracking your progress during NaNoWriMo. It plots your progress against your goals, and presents the results in a handy graphical format.

Before you start with FocusWriter, make sure you’ve activated the auto-save option. FocusWriter itself is stable and reliable, but you never know when a hardware accident or other disaster might befall your work in progress. More on that in a moment.

4. Dropbox

Back up your work online to avoid catastrophic accidents

Losing work to a hardware or software fault during NaNoWriMo could be disastrous, so we strongly advise backing up your manuscript to the cloud.

Any cloud storage service will serve you well, but Dropbox’s generous free storage allowance and cross-platform support make it a particularly good choice. Because it’s compatible with so many devices, you can open your novel anywhere and use any spare moments to jot down a few extra words.

For peace of mind, we recommend keeping multiple backups of your work in different locations

5. Grammarly

A helping hand with editing your NaNoWriMo manuscript

NaNoWriMo is all about powering through and getting a first draft down as quickly as possible, so some grammatical errors are par for the course. Grammarly is available as a free extension for Firefox, Edge, Safari and Chrome (plus other Chromium-based browsers like Vivaldi) that detects common errors and suggests corrections. You can use it when writing online, or copy and paste parts of your manuscript to analyze them. 

If you want to check your work on your desktop, Grammarly Premium analyzes text in native desktop apps. In addition to spelling and grammar, it also hunts down issues with sentence structure and style to help improve your work. A monthly subscription costs US$29.99 (about £20/AU$40), so give the free browser extension a try before investing.

Autocrit is a similar app designed specifically for novelists. Rather than checking your spelling and grammar, it helps you identify issues with pacing, repetition and use of unnecessary filler words. Unlike Grammarly there’s no free version of Autocrit, but pasting a scene or two into the online demo tool will give you an idea of the results you can expect.



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Buy Windows 10: the cheapest deals pre-Black Friday 2017

The deadline to get a free upgrade to Windows 10 has sadly now passed. Not to worry though as you can rely on TechRadar to help you buy Windows 10 for the best price. Windows 10 is generally seen as an improvement over Windows 8 - yes, the Start button is back!

So, if you're building a brand new system or want to upgrade to Windows 10 on an older device, you're going to need to buy a copy. Don't worry though, because we check the prices of Windows 10 every day to make sure you get the best deals.

windows 10 home deals

Buy Windows 10 Home deals

The perfect version of Windows for home users

Windows 10 Home is the version that most people will need. It's for home use and includes game streaming from Xbox One and other consumer features like Cortana, as well as Windows Hello for logging into your PC via a fingerprint scanner or your face. If Windows 8 was the steepest learning curve imaginable, Windows 10 is like meeting a great friend you once knew again - it's just that they've bought some new clothes of which you really do approve.

windows 10 pro deals

Buy Windows 10 Pro deals

Go Pro if you think it's worth paying more for the Pro features

Windows 10 Pro comes with security and management improvements over the Home version above. It includes Hyper-V for virtualisation, BitLocker whole disk encryption, enterprise mode IE, Remote Desktop, a version of the Windows Store for your own business and assigned access (which locks a PC to running only one modern application, to use like a kiosk). Network admins can also schedule updates so they don't happen at important times.

windows 7 deals

Buy Windows 7 deals

Windows 7 - because we fear change

What's this? Windows 7 deals on a page that advertises Windows 10? We understand some of you really want to stick with Windows 7, maybe even on a new machine. Don't worry, we totally get it. Maybe it's because you have some hardware/software that works better on the old OS or it just feels better. Or maybe it's because you've no time for the ridiculousness of the tiles format. Windows 7, the classic choice of the PC connoisseur?



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WhatsApp rolls out Delete for Everyone feature

Facebook-owned messaging app WhatsApp is now rolling out the Delete for Everyone feature to all its users after having tested it with some users over the last few days. The feature allows users to “recall” or delete sent messages, but both the sender and the receiver need to have the latest version of WhatsApp installed for this to work. Announcing the general availability of Delete for Everyone, WhatsApp revealed that this feature is now available across all platforms – iOS, Android, Windows Phone and desktop.

Prior to this, Delete for Everyone feature has been available on apps like Skype and Telegram. This feature lets users delete the message from the recipient’s and their own phones too, replacing the deleted message with a text that says “This message was deleted” on the recipient’s phone. However, you are given a window of 7 minutes only to delete your message.

The WhatsApp Delete for Everyone feature works in private chats as well as groups, but only if all the parties have the latest version of WhatsApp installed on their device.

How to use WhatsApp Delete for Everyone feature

Using this feature is very simple – all you have to do is tap and hold on the message you want to delete, and then tap on the “Trash” icon. Once done, a popup appears giving you an option to either delete the message for yourself or for everyone.

Now, select Delete for Everyone and viola, the message will be deleted from your and the recipient's’ device as well.

Again, if you want to delete a message, you will have to do so within 7 minutes of sending it. After 7 minutes, you won’t be able to delete it.



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