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What is a softphone and how does it work?

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Are you often on the road or do you regularly work from home? Then you have come to the right place with the softphone. It is a combination of ‘software’ and ‘telephone’. It is simply software that you install on your phone or laptop. This way you are always reachable, wherever you are. Curious about what you can do with the softphone and how to use it? You can read that in this blog. What is a softphone? A softphone is software in the form of an app. In this app, you can enter a telephone number on a number keypad, just like on your smartphone. You can simply install this software on the devices you already own, such as your mobile phone or laptop. You do not need to purchase any additional hardware for this. A softphone works via VoIP telephony (Voice over Internet Protocol): a telephony solution that enables telephony via the internet, instead of via traditional telephone lines. You can use the softphone to call via your business VoIP number, which means you can be reached both internally and externally. Hosted VoIP solution A hosted VoIP solution is recommended to be able to use a softphone within your organization. With hosted VoIP you replace your traditional, physical telephone exchange with an online telephony platform. Your entire telephony environment is then located in the cloud, so that no physical maintenance is required. In addition, you can easily log in to the platform yourself, where you can manage everything yourself. For example, you can view all your users and call boxes in one overview.

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What is the dark web and how do you keep your data safe?

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Have you ever heard of the dark web? Then you probably know that it can be just as ‘dark’ as it sounds. For both organizations and individuals, there is always a risk that confidential data ends up on this hidden part of the internet and is even sold by cybercriminals. Of course, you want to prevent this. In this blog, we explain what the dark web is exactly, why it can be dangerous and how you can effectively protect your company data.   What is the dark web? You can think of the Internet as an iceberg, which consists of three layers: Surface web This ‘top’ part of the internet is accessible to everyone and consists of websites that can be found via search engines. Almost everyone uses this part daily. Deep web This larger ‘lower’ part of the internet contains information that is not accessible to everyone and requires authentication. Think of medical or corporate information and intranets. Dark web The dark web is a part of the deep web. Anonymity is paramount here, which makes both legal and illegal practices possible. Many criminal activities take place on this hidden part of the internet, such as trading leaked company data, credit card details and hacking software. Although this part of the internet is known for these criminal activities, it is also used for legitimate purposes such as protecting privacy by journalists and activists to be able to communicate safely. What are the dangers of the dark web? On the dark web, criminals can communicate anonymously with each other, performing various illegal activities. These activities can have negative consequences for organizations. The following things are regularly leaked and sold on this part of the internet: Sensitive Company Data: Login credentials, credit card numbers, and other sensitive company information are sold for small amounts of money. This is how criminals can sometimes penetrate the most critical corporate systems. Phishing templates: Phishing templates are also traded. This allows cybercriminals to send convincing phishing attacks. Ransomware: Malicious software is easy to obtain here and can be deployed without the cybercriminal having any technical knowledge. Protect your data with dark web monitoring Our ‘dark web monitoring’ service searches the dark web for information that relates to your organization. For example, it checks whether stolen login details, credit card numbers and other company information have been leaked or sold on the dark web. Is something found? You will be warned immediately and receive a report with details about the leaked data, such as: Which accounts have had their login details leaked? When was this data found on the dark web? How did this data get there? This way you can take the right actions to prevent further damage such as identity theft and financial damage. For example, you can reset your passwords or increase the security of certain accounts. In this way, you can respond as quickly as possible to possible threats as an organization and increase your cyber security. Dark web monitoring proactively searches for sensitive data that has ended up in the wrong place, before it can be abused. Do you also want to protect your company data and take your cybersecurity to the next level? Then contact us without obligation!

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Endpoint Detection & Response: Why Your Organization Needs This Solution

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Cybercriminals are getting smarter, but is your security getting smarter? With cyberthreats becoming increasingly sophisticated, traditional antivirus software is not enough as a security solution. Cyberattacks can strike very quickly and cause damage before you know it. That is why more and more organizations are opting for that extra bit of security: Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR). This security solution continuously monitors your devices (endpoints) for suspicious activity. But how exactly does EDR work and why does your organization need it? You can read it in this blog.    Antivirus software alone is not enough A virus scanner identifies viruses on your endpoints. The antivirus software does this by using a blacklist, which contains the malware that is known to the software. If a file is found during a scan that matches the list, the antivirus software will stop this file and delete it for you. During scanning, the virus scanner only compares files with known malware. The daily new cyber threats are not included here, because they must first be on the blacklist to be identified. A virus scanner is therefore not real-time and complete. What is EDR and how does it protect your endpoints? While traditional antivirus software only identifies known threats by using blacklists, EDR can also identify unknown and new threats. EDR is an automated security solution that continuously monitors the behavior on your devices. It recognizes various suspicious activities, which deviate from normal behavior, even if they have never occurred before. EDR provides detailed insights into the entire threat cycle, which helps you investigate and improve your endpoint security. In addition, the security solution can also intervene immediately if it recognizes something suspicious. If an attack is identified and prevented, EDR shares the details of the attack with your other endpoints. This way, all your other endpoints are protected against a similar attack. With EDR security, you are better prepared for advanced cyber threats and can respond quickly and effectively when something goes wrong. Why choose EDR? The benefits for your organization Why choose Endpoint Detection & Response, instead of just traditional antivirus software? Real-time monitoring: EDR continuously monitors your endpoints, identifying suspicious activity immediately, not during a scheduled scan. Unknown cyber threats: EDR uses behavioral analysis to identify not only known threats, but also unknown and emerging threats. Automated recovery actions: In the event of a cyberattack, EDR can intervene immediately by blocking processes or quarantining files. Insight and analysis: EDR provides detailed reports on how an attack occurred and what steps were taken, allowing you to improve your security. How can IT Synergy help you? Our EDR security solution protects all endpoints of your organization against both known and unknown cyber threats. In addition, we also provide awareness training so that you know how to deal with the notifications generated by EDR. Do you also want to improve the cybersecurity of your organization? Then contact us without obligation! Want to take your security to the next level? Read our blog about the dark web! Frequently Asked Questions What is an endpoint? What is the difference between EDR and traditional antivirus software? Should I replace my antivirus software with EDR?

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Microsoft Places and Copilot: Hybrid Working Made Easy

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You probably recognize it: you go to the office to be able to consult with your colleagues more easily, but when you arrive it turns out that you were the only one with this idea, because your colleagues are all working from home today. The flexibility of the hybrid work environment can be very nice, but for these kinds of situations a solution would come in handy. Imagine if you always knew exactly where your colleagues were working, so that you would no longer be faced with these kinds of surprises. With Microsoft Places this is now possible! In this blog you can read what Microsoft Places exactly is and how it can improve your working days. What is Microsoft Places? Microsoft Places is a platform that makes it easy to plan when, where and with whom you work. The platform integrates with Microsoft Outlook and Teams, allowing you to plan your office days as efficiently as possible. For example, you can see when your colleagues are in the office and via an interactive map of your office you can immediately see which meeting rooms and flex desks are available. Do you need to consult with your team about that one project? Microsoft Places helps you choose the best day by showing you when your colleagues are in the office. While you’re there, you can also book a meeting room!   Copilot makes it even easier Since 2024, Copilot has made using Microsoft Places even easier. This AI solution from Microsoft helps you determine when it is best to come to the office, based on your colleagues’ agendas. Copilot also supports you in booking meeting rooms. Microsoft Places also indicates the maximum number of people per meeting room, so you never book a room that is too small or too large for your meeting. Do you need a whiteboard for a brainstorm with your team? The availability of whiteboards and other facilities is also displayed in Microsoft Places, so that Copilot can select the most suitable meeting room for you. The tool also helps you find your colleagues in the office building, including the floor they are on and the desk they are working at. The benefits of Microsoft Places for your organization Enhanced collaboration: Microsoft Places helps you plan the best days to work based on your colleagues’ presence. By suggesting the ideal days to come to the office, Copilot helps you collaborate and schedule meetings with colleagues at the most convenient times. No more missing each other in the office!   Optimal use of space: Microsoft Places provides insight into the use of workstations and meeting rooms. Copilot analyses this data and makes suggestions to optimise the layout of your office, so that the available office space is used optimally. Automation: Copilot in Microsoft Places saves you a lot of manual work. The AI ​​assistant chooses the best office days for you, helps you find colleagues in the office building and arranges the booking of meeting rooms. This way you have less to plan yourself and can focus on more important tasks. How can IT Synergy help you? With Microsoft Places, you can optimize your organization’s office occupancy and make hybrid working even more flexible. Do you also want to organize your working week efficiently by choosing the best office days? We are happy to help you with the implementation of the complete Microsoft 365 environment, including Microsoft Places. Feel free to contact us for free advice! Read more about implementing Microsoft 365 for your organization here

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Change your Microsoft password

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Change your password using your keyboard Step 1: The easiest way to change your password is via your keyboard. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to get to a page where you have to click on change password .   Step 2: Now you can fill in your old password and below that, twice your new, self-made password. Make sure that you do not end your password with an exclamation mark and also make sure that it is not too easy.  Check out the blog on how to create a strong password Step 3: Press enter and your password has been changed! If this doesn’t work, there could be a few things wrong. It could be that you entered your old password incorrectly, that your new password is not the same in both input fields or that your new password has already been used. Check this carefully!  Change your password online Step 1: Go to office.com .  Step 2: Click on your name at the top right of the screen and then click on view account .  Step 3: Now you will come to the overview page of your account. Click in the password box (the one with the key) on change password. Step 4: Now you will get the same kind of screen that you see when you press Ctrl+Alt+Del . Follow steps 2 and 3 of change your password via your keyboard and click on send . Super simple right?  Using an online password generator When you change your password via office.com , it also tells you how strong your password is. To make it as strong as possible, you can use an online password generator, such as LastPass.com.   Step 1: Go to LastPass.com .  Step 2: Click on use the password generator in the middle left corner of the screen . Step 3: Now you can set a password! You can adjust the length yourself by dragging the red dot. You can also choose whether the password is easy to pronounce or read. If you choose one of these two options, your password will be easier to crack. Make sure you make your password a bit longer , so that it becomes stronger . You can also choose which characters you want in your password, such as uppercase, lowercase, numbers and symbols.  Step 4: To not forget this strong but difficult password, you can write it on a post-it and stick it on your screen. Or save it in another device. Do not save your password on your computer, because if someone gets into your computer, they can access this password and therefore all your Microsoft Apps. Keep it to yourself!  

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Sending an encrypted email via Microsoft Outlook

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Do you want to send an email containing sensitive information or make sure that only one person can read this email? With the help of this simple step-by-step plan or by watching the video below, you will get the hang of it in no time!  How do you send an encrypted email via Microsoft Outlook? Step 1: Open Microsoft Outlook.   Step 2: Click on new email at the top left and go to the options heading. Step 3: Then click on encrypt. Here you can choose from a number of options. Click on do not forward if you do not want your mail to be forwarded. Click on encrypt if you want to indicate yourself who may receive the mail and who may not. Step 4: Above your own email address you will now see that the message is encrypted. You can also change the permissions from here . You can choose confidential for your organization, confidential view only if they are only allowed to view the message or the option do not forward .     Step 5: Fill in who you want to send the message to and send it. This way your mail is sent encrypted to the recipients!  Check if your workplace is up to date? Download the workplace check here

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A new Microsoft Teams calendar

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Even though the new year has only just begun, Microsoft Teams has already implemented an innovation. The agenda has been renewed, and now looks more like the agenda you know from Microsoft Outlook. There are now many more functions available within the Microsoft Teams agenda. Curious about what you can do with it? You can read all about it in this blog! Agenda view in Teams First, you may notice that the agenda view has changed. For example, the appointments of the current day and the days that are still to come that week are displayed in more detail. The appointments of the days that have already passed in that week contain less detail. You can also now adjust how large you want the time blocks in your agenda to be. In addition, you can enable week numbers via agenda settings. You can also add different time zones via these settings. Handy if your colleague (or yourself) is on workation! Filters in the Microsoft Teams calendar It is now also possible to enable different filters, via the three dots at the top of your Teams calendar. These filters help you focus on certain appointments in your calendar. If you have divided different types of events into categories, such as appointments with colleagues, appointments with external parties and performing tasks for yourself, this is very useful. You can also enable these filters to distinguish between, among other things, accepted, unanswered and cancelled meetings. For example, you can filter your calendar by ‘unanswered’, so that you can also accept or decline the invitations that you have missed in all the hustle and bustle. Create meetings from the Teams calendar You can now schedule your meetings in detail within your Teams calendar. Previously, only a pop-up would appear where you could list the most important things, such as date and time, participants, location and description. Now you can enlarge that pop-up, allowing you to add more details. Think of setting notifications before the meeting, making the meeting recurring and using the scheduling assistant to avoid double appointments. Open and edit meetings in the Teams calendar When opening an appointment in your Teams calendar to find more information about it or to adjust it, the small pop-up will first appear. You can enlarge this for more details. For example, you can now find a chat button here. This way you can send and receive messages via the chat from everyone involved in the meeting. This can be useful for taking meeting notes. There is also now a button available with which you can directly participate in the meeting or copy the link to send to your colleagues. Concept of a meeting When you are planning or adjusting a meeting, you may need more information to schedule it. For example, you may have forgotten an important meeting point, for which you need to send a message to your colleague. Then you can simply go to the chat via the left side of Teams, as you always do. Here you can look up your information or ask your question. When you return to your agenda, the screen of the meeting you were planning is still open. This way you don’t have to fill in everything again! View shared calendars in Teams In the Microsoft Teams calendar you can now also view calendars of others. Make sure you first add these calendars in Microsoft Outlook via ‘Add shared calendar’. This function is not (yet) possible within the Microsoft Teams calendar. Indicate your work location Within your Teams calendar you can now indicate per day or week which days you work in the office or remotely. You can also see which days your colleagues work in the office, if they have filled this in of course. Saved Views With the ‘Saved views’ option, you can create and save different calendar display settings. For example, you can add an option in which you only see your own calendar, but also an option in which the calendars of your colleagues are visible. Channel Meetings You can now also schedule channel meetings via the Teams calendar. This is very useful if you want to schedule a meeting with your team. You can also do this via the arrow next to ‘New event’. This allows you to enter which Teams channel you want to schedule a meeting with. If you do this via the ‘normal’ way of scheduling, you do not have the option to add a channel. You can also choose to send personal invitations, so that invitees immediately receive the invitation in their calendar. Meeting templates You can also schedule different types of meetings in the new Microsoft Teams calendar. You can find these via the arrow next to ‘New event’. Here you get three different meeting options: webinar, meeting and virtual appointment. The settings for these different options are precisely tailored to the type of meeting. For example, you don’t have to think about muting the microphone of participants during a webinar. Microsoft Teams has already done this for you as the default setting for this type of meeting. Curious about other new features in Microsoft Teams? Then read this blog!

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How do you delete cookies?

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Anyone who uses the internet encounters them on a daily basis: cookies. You probably recognize this: you have looked online once for a holiday via a travel agency, and suddenly you see advertisements from that travel agency on every website you visit. This way you are reminded again and again to book your holiday with exactly that travel agency. That is what those cookies do. You can always choose to accept them, which is often the best option. Some websites do not work with all the functionalities if you do not accept cookies. Ultimately, they are also there to improve the user experience on websites. However, it can sometimes be useful to delete cookies. Curious why and how you do this? You can read that in this blog.   What are cookies? Cookies are small text files that are stored on your computer or smartphone by websites. Some cookies are necessary for the proper functioning of websites, other cookies are used for marketing or analytical purposes. They are also used for: User experience : If you have accepted cookies, websites can recognise you as a user. They remember the preferences you have indicated and your login information, so you do not have to log in again every time you close a page. Personalization : Cookies also ensure that advertisements are personalized. When you are surfing on a website, the cookies keep track of which pages you view. In this way, they create advertisements that match those that are likely to interest you the most. Tracking : Cookies keep track of how often and for how long you visit certain pages on a website. This allows web shops to see which products you have viewed and, based on that, recommend other products that may interest you. Cookies also ensure that your shopping cart remains filled, even if you visit other pages on that website in the meantime.   Cookies ensure that websites load faster, login details are saved and your online preferences are remembered. This allows you to see personalized content and advertisements on the websites you visit.   Why delete cookies? So cookies improve the user experience, but it can still be useful to delete them from time to time for several reasons: Privacy: Cookies collect personal information about your browsing activity to provide you with targeted recommendations and advertisements. To protect your online privacy, it is useful to delete these cookies regularly. Loading speed: Cookies make web pages load faster, because they are already stored on your device and do not need to be downloaded again. After a while, these cookies can take up a lot of storage space, which actually slows down the loading speed. Update preferences: Do you want to change your cookie preferences? Then also delete your cookies. For example, you can only allow necessary cookies, while you previously also enabled marketing cookies. Using shared devices: Do you use public or shared devices? Always clear your cookies after surfing the internet. If you don’t do this, the person after you can see your history and sometimes your accounts if you haven’t logged out.   How do you delete cookies? For the above reasons, it is best to delete your cookies from time to time. Read below how to do this for different browsers, on your computer and smartphone.   How to delete cookies in Chrome? Click on the three dots at the top right of your screen, then click on ‘History’ > ‘History’. Click on ‘Clear browsing data’ on the left. In the menu that now appears, you will be given the option to clear all of your browsing data, or just your browsing data from a certain time. Here you can also choose which data you want to have deleted, which also includes the option for ‘Cookies and other site data’. Now click on ‘Clear data’.   Deleting Cookies in Firefox Click on the three lines at the top right of your screen, select ‘Settings’ > ‘Privacy & Security’. Click on ‘Cookies and website data’ > ‘Clear data’. Click ‘Erase’ > ‘Erase Now’.   How do you delete cookies in Edge? Click the three dots at the top right of your screen, select ‘Settings’ > ‘Privacy, search and services’. Click ‘Clear browsing data’ > ‘Choose what to clear’. Here too you can choose whether you want to delete cookies from only the past hour or from always, under ‘Time range’. Next, make sure that you have at least checked ‘Cookies and other site data’. Click ‘Clear Now’.   Deleting cookies in Safari Once you have Safari open, click ‘Safari’ at the top of your screen. Then click on ‘Clear history…’ Now, next to ‘Delete’, you can choose whether you want to delete everything, or only data from a certain time. Now click on ‘Clear History’.   How to Clear Cookies in Safari for iPhone and iPad? Go to ‘Settings’, scroll down a bit and click on ‘Safari’. Scroll down again here, click on ‘Clear history and website data’ > ‘Clear history’. To delete even more data, scroll down even further, still in the ‘Safari’ menu. Click on ‘Advanced’ here. Now click on ‘Website Data’ > ‘Remove All Website Data’ > ‘Remove Now’.   How to clear cookies in Chrome for Android? Click on the three dots at the top right of your screen and then on ‘Settings’. Here, select ‘Privacy’ > ‘Clear browsing data’. Here again, make sure that you have at least checked ‘Cookies and other site data’ and choose the time period for which you want to delete the cookies. Click on ‘Clear data’. Have you discovered the new Microsoft Teams calendar yet?

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