Application management

How to approach end-user security training

Most IT pros are aware that user behavior can be a security threat to an organization. But what is there to do about it? With end-user security training, IT can ensure that employees are updated on the latest risks and know how to access corporate resources in accordance with IT policies. There are several ways to approach end-user security training, from online resources to in-person meetings, so we explore the methods at hand in this month's cover story of Access magazine.

Also in this issue, learn how to prepare for Windows 7 end of life and what Apple's Device Enrollment Program can bring to the table for desktop and mobile environments. In another expert column, get to know how internet of things devices fit into unified endpoint management today. Plus, check out this month's Device Spotlight on the Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 and see what the editor has to say about monitoring mobile device usage in the enterprise.

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End-user security awareness training is a must-have

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Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 laptop slims down, but it's no tablet

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How to deploy and administer help desk management software

Help desk tools help IT manage the submission, status and resolution of employee help desk tickets. Read on to learn about common help desk challenges and the latest trends. Continue Reading

By

• Gary Olsen

How the Microsoft Teams app can boost collaboration

Microsoft Teams is an app users can work with to collaborate no matter where they're located. It comes as part of certain business-focused Office 365 subscriptions. Continue Reading

By

• Ed Tittel

Tread carefully with modern Windows application management

With the Windows winds changing, IT pros must consider whether it's time to transition from SCCM to modern management via the cloud. Continue Reading

By

• Tim Mangan, TMurgent Technologies, LLP

LibreOffice 6.0 pushes for enterprise viability

The debate of office suites may boil down to Microsoft Office vs. LibreOffice. The former is an expensive but consistent native suite, and the latter is third-party and free. Continue Reading

By

• John Powers, Senior Site Editor

Create an effective email phishing test in 7 steps

The best way for IT to improve email phishing security is through comprehensive testing, which helps identify which users are susceptible and what type of fake email is most effective. Continue Reading

By

• Kevin Beaver, Principle Logic, LLC

Tread carefully with modern Windows application management

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LibreOffice 6.0 pushes for enterprise viability

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Conquer the end-user productivity balancing act

Keeping users productive is one of the most critical jobs IT pros have. But there are some hurdles to jump, including understanding the risks with collaboration tools. Continue Reading

By

• Gary Olsen

Windows application management software comes to IT's aid

Application management software is a necessity for organizational continuity and security. Without any such software, absent patches threaten end users' applications. Continue Reading

By

• John Powers, Senior Site Editor

Workflow automation software improves LA court productivity

Court's in session, and the jury is unanimous: Automation software can help IT departments provide simpler workflows for end users on both desktops and mobile devices. Continue Reading

By

• Alyssa Provazza, Editorial Director

Microsoft Edge web browser has a long way to go against Chrome

Recent updates to Chrome continue to increase its viability for business users, which could make it difficult for Microsoft's Edge web browser to take over shares of Google's in the enterprise. Continue Reading

By

• Alyssa Provazza, Editorial Director

What Microsoft Outlook alternatives can IT choose from?

When IT pros are seeking an alternative to Outlook, they should consider the features their users need the most and select an email client that best matches those needs. Continue Reading

By

• Brien Posey

AI tools fall into the hands of end users

Machine learning capabilities have made applications smarter, but IT pros are still in the early days of learning AI skills. Luckily, some tools only require the knowledge of an end user. Continue Reading

By

• Alyssa Provazza, Editorial Director

Logon times play key role in virtual desktop UX monitoring

Overly long logon times for virtual desktops and applications can lead to major losses in user productivity that costs organizations real money. Learn how IT can improve VDI performance using ... Continue Reading

By

• Eddie Lockhart, Site Editor

How does Microsoft Near Share for browser file sharing work?

Microsoft Edge, Windows 10's default browser, includes a file-sharing tool called Near Share, which is helpful, if not truly groundbreaking. Continue Reading

By

• Ed Tittel

AI tools fall into the hands of end users

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How AI and machine learning affect end-user computing

End-user computing administrators need to start paying attention to AI and machine learning, not because these technologies will take over their jobs, but because they can bring productivity benefits to both business software and IT management tools. As AI and machine learning capabilities grow in employees' applications, IT must know how to handle them, what data they can help glean, and how to get users involved in the customization process. This month's cover story explores how AI affects end-user computing and why users themselves are at the forefront of this issue.

In addition, this month's Deep Dive article looks at chatbots and how they can benefit the enterprise. Our columnists explain more about how AI can transform workflow processes and why IT should consider Macs for business use. Plus, the Device Spotlight shines on Samsung's latest Android flagship, the Galaxy S9, which brings a few fun new features for consumer and business users.

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VMware Workspace One helps Western Digital organize 3,000 apps

The application portal in VMware Workspace One allowed IT to streamline app delivery, and the product's cloud-based model proved the right fit for administration. Continue Reading

By

• Alyssa Provazza, Editorial Director

Announcing the winners of the Access Innovation Awards

These award-winning projects demonstrate how organizations that embrace endpoint diversity, cloud computing and user experience-focused strategies can transform existing end-user processes. Continue Reading

By

• Alyssa Provazza, Editorial Director

Access Innovation Awards recognize desktop transformation

The Access Innovation Awards highlight two creative and successful end-user computing projects. One of these IT initiatives dove headfirst into cloud with a migration of physical and virtual desktops to desktop as a service, all while monitoring users and resources with a variety of tools. The other formulated a unique combination of products to deliver scalable, flexible and graphics-rich virtual desktops to diverse sites. Both of them enabled desktop transformation in their organizations to help end users do their work more efficiently and effectively.

The results were two strong end-user computing implementations that together represent this year's Access Innovation Awards winners. Read the stories of each of these desktop transformation initiatives in this special issue of the e-zine.

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Roll your own Windows patching tool with PowerShell

This tutorial based on PowerShell helps administrators build an automated routine that audits Windows machines, then applies missing patches to lighten this management task. Continue Reading

By

• Adam Bertram

Tip: Access HTML Files Using Edge

Even though the File - Open menu entry is MIA, turns out there are plenty of ways to access HTML files using Edge in Windows 10. Continue Reading

By

• Ed Tittel

Microsoft, Google vie to be masters of the universal OS

Developers and IT admins have to manage and build apps for a multitude of different operating systems and device types. Windows 10 and Google's universal OS could change that. Continue Reading

By

• Ramin Edmond, News Writer

Taskkill Terminates Hung Processes

When Windows processes go south, remember that Taskkill terminates hung processes at the command line. Very handy! Continue Reading

By

• Ed Tittel

Office 365 vs. Office 2013: What are the key differences?

Software as a service may be one reason for choosing Office 365 over Office 2013, but licensing and update frequency are other considerations. Continue Reading

By

• Stephen J. Bigelow, Senior Technology Editor

Microsoft Office 365 suite

Microsoft Office 365 suite is a hosted, online version of Microsoft Office software. IT administrators access it from a web-based portal to set up new user accounts, control access to features and see the status of all Office 365 services and tools. Continue Reading

By

• Brien Posey
• Bridget Botelho, Editorial Director, News

How to handle Windows 10 browser compatibility issues

IT often runs into problems with legacy apps not functioning well on new browser versions. There are a few ways to combat Windows 10 browser compatibility issues in Internet Explorer 11. Continue Reading

By

• Alyssa Provazza, Editorial Director

Productivity suite smack down: Office 365 vs. Office 2016

Microsoft's Office 2016 for the desktop might seem like the de facto option for delivering productivity apps to users, but its cloud-based cousin Office 365 offers more flexibility. Continue Reading

By

• Kim Lindros and Ed Tittel

Choosing between Microsoft Office 2016 versions

Choosing between Office 2016 versions may seem like a simple choice, but don't jump to conclusions: Consider functionality, operational consistency and cost. Continue Reading

By

• Brien Posey

Microsoft Office Trust Center settings that help stop malware

The Trust Center in Microsoft's Office suite has some important and useful settings to prevent users from opening files infected with malware and viruses, but admins need to know about and enable them. Continue Reading

By

• Gary Olsen

Another Worthwhile DISM Source "Trick"

In my continuing efforts to maintain the health and well-being of my Windows 10 installations, I've continued messing about with the built-in deployment image servicing and management tool ... Continue Reading

By

• Ed Tittel

Simple Trick Fixes DISM /source syntax issues

I've been messing around with the MS Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) tool since it made its debut along with Windows 8, when it replaced the ImageX tool built into previous Windows ... Continue Reading

By

• Ed Tittel

NetBIOS Tweak May Be Needed for Win10 NAS Access

In response to a question from an old friend and colleague, I started researching what might cause a NAS connection to vanish following an upgrade to Windows 10. It turns out that certain network ... Continue Reading

By

• Ed Tittel

What are some common Office 2013 problems?

Office 2013 problems can stem from an incomplete install, or your particular version or settings. Luckily, there are simple fixes for most issues. Continue Reading

By

• Brien Posey

How do I open an .xpx file in Office 2002 SP3?

An .xpx file can cause problems for Office 2002 SP3 users, but Microsoft does provide help in Windows 7 and with a free XPS viewer. Continue Reading

By

• Dan Sullivan

Why doesn't closing a file return me to Microsoft Windows Explorer?

If you open a Windows document in Windows Explorer rather than in the Microsoft Word interface, closing it launches File Explorer. The file hasn't moved. Continue Reading

By

• Dan Sullivan

Microsoft Click-To-Run

Microsoft Click-to-Run is a way to quickly install Microsoft products, including versions of Office 2010 and Office 2013.  Continue Reading

By

• Stephen J. Bigelow, Senior Technology Editor

Finding and fixing Office 2013 installation problems

Desktop administrators can streamline Office deployments by understanding fixes to important installation problems. Continue Reading

By

• Stephen J. Bigelow, Senior Technology Editor

For missing GPO settings, check the Winlogon component

If a Windows system isn't applying certain Group Policy settings, you may need to check Winlogon and common client-side extensions. Continue Reading

By

• Nirmal Sharma

Use Excel's IF statement to track, save on IT support contract costs

Warranty tracking for enterprise software can be an odious task, but if you know how to use the IF statement in Microsoft Excel, you could save money. Continue Reading

By

• Gary Olsen

Track software licenses and IT support with Excel date functions

As part of our series on Excel for IT admins, we look at how Excel date functions can help with calculating software licenses and support dates. Continue Reading

By

• Gary Olsen

Set IT support and reporting priorities with an Excel pivot table

An Excel pivot table can help IT report on support, especially if admins use its ability to prioritize data by location, date and other criteria. Continue Reading

By

• Gary Olsen

Excel pivot tables can help IT admins track support, costs

Excel isn't just for end users. If you know how to properly filter data with Excel pivot tables, you can track expenses and create detailed reports. Continue Reading

By

• Gary Olsen

Locking down Internet Explorer settings with Group Policy in IE 11

New Internet Explorer settings can tighten enterprise security, but only if Group Policy is properly enabled in IE 11 and you have Windows 8. Continue Reading

By

• Kevin Beaver, Principle Logic, LLC

Learn how to install Office 2013 with Group Policies or SCCM

To successfully deploy Office 2013 across a network, you'll need Group Policies or tools such as Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager. Continue Reading

By

• Jonathan Hassell

Click-to-Run and MSI provide Office 2013 installation options

The Microsoft Installer has competition for Office 2013 installation. See how Office Click-to-Run allows Office 2013 to run without a full download. Continue Reading

By

• Jonathan Hassell

"Run as Administrator" Adds to WinDirStat File Visibility

I've written repeatedly about a great, free SourceForge utility called WinDirStat for this blog over the years. But just this morning, I learned something about the program I didn't know -- namely ... Continue Reading

By

• Ed Tittel

Using Active Directory activation and other new Office 2013 tools

Among the new Office 2013 tools for IT admins are a method for volume activation, administrative template files and files for custom installations. Continue Reading

By

• Robert Sheldon

Microsoft Office 2013 crackable, so look to Office password recovery

Microsoft Office 2013 may have improved protection, but third-party tools have already cracked passwords. See how to use Office password recovery. Continue Reading

By

• Kevin Beaver, Principle Logic, LLC

Tablet licensing rules with Microsoft Office

As tablets make their way into the enterprise, it might be time to brush up on licensing rules for mobilizing Microsoft Office. We also provide some solutions for reducing costs. Continue Reading

By

• Paul DeGroot

Resetting passwords in the enterprise without the help desk

While there are several self-service password-reset options on the market, many organizations are hesitant to implement them -- even though the payoffs are significant. Continue Reading

By

• Mike Nelson

Controlling desktops with AppLocker and software restriction policies

Many IT admins rely on User Account Control, but AppLocker or software restriction policies can also prevent unauthorized installation of desktop apps. Continue Reading

By

• Gary Olsen

How to recover from lost BitLocker PINs and startup keys

Windows BitLocker Drive Encryption makes it possible to encrypt your system drive, but permanent data loss can occur if you forget the PIN or lose the startup key. This article explains some steps that you can take to regain your lost data. Continue Reading

By

• Brien Posey

PatchLink Update 6.4

PatchLink Update 6.4 automatically updates networks with patches while checking the patching status of all machines on the network. It automatically identifies unpatched software, then provides and installs the correct patches. Continue Reading

Internet Explorer security settings and controls

Managing Internet Explorer security is a complicated job. You need to be aware of all of the latest IE flaws and threats as well as how to prevent hackers from using these flaws to hack your Windows network. Read about how you can keep IE secure in this Internet Explorer learning guide. Continue Reading

BOOT.INI is gone, BCD is here

There's a little surprise waiting for you in Windows Vista: The boot options are different from those in previous versions of Windows. Learn more about the new boot tool called BCD. Continue Reading

Making a Windows folder read-only

Windows hardening expert Jonathan Hassell explains how to make a Windows folder that multiple users share read-only. Continue Reading